Stuck In The Middle With You
by KrissyCaits
Summary: A collection of stories that have Sharon and Brenda forced to work together to get out of uncomfortable situations.
1. Introduction

**0 Introduction**

The idea for these stories was born after a conversation on Twitter between us and a friend who came up with a ridiculous prompt that involved Brenda and Sharon in a rather uncomfortable position. The idea was way out there but when we started writing it we soon realised just how hilarious the idea really was.

"Close Encounters" was the result of that prompt and after finishing that one we decided we wanted to do more just like it so we came up with a list of strange or ridiculous situations where Brenda and Sharon find themselves stuck together.

We currently have 11 prompts but are always looking for more so if you have any ideas, feel free to send us a message

These stories all feature Brenda and Sharon but the stories do not necessarily have a romantic overtone. The whole idea is to put these two women together, two women who don't necessarily like each other but are forced to work as a team because they're all they've got.

 _Clowns to the left of me,_  
 _Jokers to the right, here I am,_  
 _Stuck in the middle with you  
Stealers Wheel - Stuck In The Middle With You _


	2. Close Encounters

**Summary:** Sharon and Brenda get a little more than they bargained for during a late night drive back to Los Angeles

 **Pairing:** Sharon Raydor/Brenda Leigh Johnson (but very midly!)

 **Rating:** T

 **Universe:** Set during The Closer

 **Note:** You will have seen this story posted on MadameCissy's personal profile before. But since this story is very much a combined effort between her and KittyKait, it was decided to repost the story on a new account that represents us both.  
Premise is still the same. A collection of stories for Brenda and Sharon where they find themselves stuck or trapped on a less than comfortable situation.

* * *

For Marta,  
Inspired by the fact you wanted to see Sharon and Brenda sitting in a tree... K-I-S-S-I-N-G. We love you x  
Cissy & Kitty

 **I. CLOSE ENCOUNTERS**

Brenda was tired. Having spent the last forty-eight hours driving several hundreds of miles to interview a suspect, surviving on copious amounts of coffee and Twizzlers and having slept in a motel bed so hard she could feel the bruises beginning to form across her back, she was ready to just get home, have a shower and sleep for a week.

She blinked a couple of times and tried to remain focused on the road ahead. The odd street light cast a yellow glow across small parts of the single lane road that cut through what Brenda guessed would be a beautiful landscape during daytime hours. But now that darkness had fallen and the sky was black and riddled with stars, it felt like she was driving into the abyss. The road markings weren't clear and they hadn't passed another car for at least ten miles.

Brenda attempted to ease some of the strain in her arms by rolling her shoulders, a movement that didn't go unnoticed by her companion. From the corner of her eye Brenda saw Sharon Raydor sit up and readjust her glasses before looking at Brenda.

Brenda bit back a frustrated groan. Not only had she been faced with a long journey, an awful bed and the stupidity of the small town Sheriff's office, she had been forced to share all of these wonderful delights with Captain Sharon Raydor.

Sharon leaned over to the radio and turned the volume down, effectively shutting off Leanne Womack as she sang "I may hate myself in the morning, but I'm gonna love you tonight." Then bright green eyes behind dark rimmed glasses focused fully on Brenda.

"Any idea how much longer till we reach some kind of civilisation?"

"That depends entirely on what you think civilisation means," Brenda answered and shuddered at the memory of the gas station where she and Sharon had stopped two hours earlier. She had half expected to find several bodies hidden behind the counter when she went to pay and walked back to the car with her hand on her gun.

"Somewhere that actually has cell service would be nice," Sharon muttered as she studied the lit up screen of her Blackberry.

Brenda wondered who Sharon possibly wanted to call at this time of night. It was after ten and they had at least four more hours to go. Right now she regretted for the first time turning down Sharon's suggestion to stay for another night and heading home in the morning. Even an uncomfortable bed was better than this.

A low rumbling noise filled the car and Sharon's head whipped up in alarm. "What was that?"

Brenda shook her head. "I don't know."

The noise lasted only a few seconds before silence returned. But just as she was about to lean back a little in her seat, an even sharper noise filled the car and Brenda noticed that suddenly the car was a lot more difficult to control. She gripped the wheel tighter, her knuckles turning white, and the sound of metal scraping against metal continued to fill the car.

Brenda slammed on the brakes as best as she could and the car slowed down, just as she lost control over the wheel. The vehicle swerved slightly before coming to a stop at the side of the road, the front wheels in the grass. The smell of smoke penetrated Brenda's nose and she turned to look at Sharon. The older woman looked back at her in alarm and they unbuckled their seatbelts at the exact same moment.

When she got out of the car Brenda immediately noticed the plume of smoke rising from the hood of the car.

" _Fuck,"_ she whispered under her breath.

Sharon arched an eyebrow, clearly amused at the Chief's swearing. "You can say that again."

"Fuck!" Brenda repeated, a little more clearly this time. "You don't happen to know anything about cars, do you?" She asked hopefully.

"I know how to drive one, I know how to park one, and I know where the gas goes. My knowledge ends there," Sharon replied. "But what I do know is that that…" She pointed at the smoke. "…is not good."

Brenda snorted. "Are you always this sarcastic or are you making a special effort today?" Her hand shot down to her pocket to retrieve her cell phone but Sharon shook her head. She held up her Blackberry.

"Don't bother. No signal."

Brenda kicked against the wheel of the car and looked at Sharon. It was infuriating that the brunette was still so damn calm when Brenda felt so agitated. "So, any smart ideas? I'm open to suggestions."

"Well, normally I would suggest staying in the car and waiting for another vehicle to come by, but since there's a lot of smoke coming from the hood, I'm not taking any chances. Don't fancy being blown up tonight," Sharon answered. "We could try and see if there's a place where we can call for help. Walk for maybe a mile, two at most. I don't want to risk getting lost."

Brenda couldn't argue with that logic and she leaned back into the car to pick up her purse, when she turned back around she found Sharon writing on the rear window with what looked to be lipstick. In neat capital letters she wrote BROKEN DOWN and then turned around to Brenda.

The road was lined with trees on either side. It was the only road cutting through this part of California and Brenda remembered when they did the drive in the opposite direction two days earlier that the forest on either side of the road was quite thick. She heaved a sigh and swung her purse over her shoulder. She wished she'd chosen better shoes but since the bright pink stiletto heels were all she had, they would have to do.

They started walking and after a few yards Brenda looked back over her shoulder. It felt unnerving to leave the car behind but she knew it was no longer safe. She then looked at Sharon, let her gaze drop to the brunette's feet. To her amusement she saw Sharon was also wearing black stilettos. The woman who always seemed prepared for every occasion had clearly not been prepared for this. Brenda couldn't help but smirk.

They walked silently for a few more minutes before Sharon turned to look at Brenda. "Try your cell." She held up her Blackberry. "Mine's still not working."

Brenda squinted as she studied the small screen on her phone. Zero bars.

"Fantastic," she groaned. "Stuck in the middle of nowhere…" She'd wanted to add 'with you' to the end of that sentence but swallowed the words at the last second. From the way Sharon looked at her she guessed the brunette had noticed but she didn't say anything.

"This isn't exactly my idea of a good time either, you know," Sharon pointed out.

"Really?" Brenda arched an eyebrow. "Could've fooled me."

She looked up at the road ahead. There was another street lamp maybe fifty yards away. The light was faint; whoever was in charge of maintenance around here clearly needed sacking. Everything else around them was dark. No sign of any houses or cars. Just the wind rustling some of the branches. She was about to say something to Sharon when she felt the older woman grab her arm. Brenda's head snapped up, ready to tell Sharon that surely she didn't need help seeing in the dark, but when she saw the look on the Captain's face, Brenda realised something was wrong.

"Did you hear that?" Sharon's voice had dropped to a whisper.

"What?" Brenda hadn't heard anything but she hadn't exactly been paying attention.

Sharon looked around. "It sounded like a branch snapped or something."

"We are in the middle of a forest. What did you think you were going to hear? The ocean?"

"Will you just shut up and listen?!" Sharon demanded, her grip on Brenda's arm tightening.

They stood still and Brenda strained to listen. She didn't hear anything. Just the wind in the leaves. She didn't hear any of the things she wanted to hear; a car, the sound of a phone ringing…

"It was probably nothing," Brenda reassured Sharon. The brunette didn't seem convinced and Brenda rolled her eyes. "Sharon, there isn't anyone around for miles. It's the reason we have to walk to find help in the first place."

Sharon pulled her hand back but didn't seem entirely convinced. She shot another weary glance in the direction she had heard the sound and she and Brenda carried on walking.

This was not how she had expected her night to end. She had expected to get home and have a long hot shower, then fall to sleep in her own bed. The long car journey as well as the temperatures throughout the day had left her feeling a little grubby and she wanted nothing more than to just rinse it all off. What she also wanted to rinse off was the frustration over the incompetence from the Sheriff they had just dealt with as well as the memory of their suspect who had been leering at her from the moment Sharon walked into the interrogation room.

"This doesn't bode well," Brenda commented when they reached the point where the road took a bend.

Sharon looked up. "What?"

But then she saw what Brenda meant. Ahead of them was only a vast darkness. The road continued down a hill, now only lit up by the light of the moon, and there wasn't a sign of civilisation anywhere. Sharon ran her hands through her hair and turned to look at Brenda.

"So, unless we fancy walking forever, it doesn't look like we're going to find help anytime soon."

Brenda arched an eyebrow. "You think?"

Sharon ignored Brenda's sarcastic comment and pushed her hands into her pockets. "We need a better plan."

"Well, I don't have one."

"Neither do I."

Brenda feigned shock. " _You_ don't have a plan? Gosh, there's a first time for everythin'."

"We should probably go back to the car," Sharon suggested. "Hopefully the smoke will have settled and we won't have to spend the night out in the open air."

Brenda tried not to look too upset by the thought of spending the night with Sharon Raydor in the small space of their sedan but she knew they didn't have a choice, so she turned around and headed back in the direction they had just come from. Noticing that the street lamp they had past moments earlier had now gone out, the world seemed full of shadows now and an unexpected chill crept down Brenda's spine.

Something caught her eye and she turned her head. She could've sworn she saw something… a shadow…

"Sharon?" she whispered, reaching out to touch the brunette's shoulder.

"What?"

"Did you see that?"

Sharon rolled her eyes. "Really, Brenda? This is not the time for ghost stories."

"But I really did see…"

"You said yourself there's no one around for miles. It's your imagination."

Brenda was imaging something alright but it was more related to wanting to slap the Captain than anything else.

The car came into view and Sharon heaved a sigh of relief at the sight. She quickened her pace and heard Brenda a few steps behind her. There were now only a few metres separating her from the vehicle and she just wanted to get back inside, out of the cold, and think of some kind of way to get this whole disaster over with.

The next thing she knew, Sharon felt Brenda grab her around her waist. The blonde yanked her backwards and Sharon spun around, ready to ask the Chief what the hell she was doing but when she saw the look on Brenda's face, the words died on her lips. Brenda just pointed and Sharon slowly followed with her eyes. She saw the shadow appear from the back of the car and then her heart skipped a beat.

The bear had reached the driver's side door and was sniffing at it.

"Shit," Sharon hissed.

"There's the understatement of the year," Brenda replied. Her arm slipped away from Sharon's waist. "What do we do? Are they dangerous?"

Sharon shot Brenda an incredulous look. "Oh, I don't know, Brenda Leigh. Why don't you go pat it and find out? Do you ever watch anything other than the Hallmark channel?!" Sharon demanded to know.

"There's no need to be rude," Brenda snapped back.

"Yes, of course they're dangerous!"

"So what do we do?"

"Waiting for it to go away seems like a good idea," Sharon answered.

"And you wonder why nobody likes you," Brenda muttered under her breath.

She never took her eyes off the bear. It was still sniffing around at the driver's side and she watched in shock as it placed one paw against the window and rose up. "What is it doing?"

"Do you have food in there?" Sharon asked.

"What do you think?" Brenda had bought some sandwiches at the gas station but hadn't eaten them yet.

"There's your answer."

Brenda stared at Sharon. "Since when do bears eat peanut butter and fluff sandwiches?"

Sharon resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "You really don't watch the Discovery Channel, do you?" She turned away from the car. "I suspect it'll be there a while. We should head back a little and wait for it to leave."

Brenda just followed Sharon and was surprised to see the brunette left the road and started to head for the treeline. She grabbed Sharon by her elbow and pulled her back. "What're you doin'?"

"Making sure it doesn't see us. Unless you fancy ending up as a bear's supper?" She looked at Brenda over the rim of her glasses and smirked. "You've got the hair for it, Goldilocks."

" _Oh! That woman!"_ Brenda fumed but was careful not to let Sharon hear.

They came to a stop a few metres from the car and made sure to stay out of the bear's sight. It was making its way around the car now, heading towards the front. Now that they were closer, it seemed bigger than Sharon had first thought. For the first time since this adventure, by lack of a better word, had begun, Sharon felt her heart in the back of her throat and she grew increasingly aware of Brenda who was trying to move closer to the car.

"Stop!" she insisted. "It'll see us."

Brenda froze but not because of Sharon's words. The bear's big head turned in their direction and she held her breath, waited for it to go back to doing what it had been doing, but it continued to stare at the treeline. She took a hesitant step back and bumped into Sharon.

"Can't you just shoot it?" Brenda hissed.

"I would," Sharon answered. "But I left my gun in the car."

"Are you serious?!"

Sharon looked at Brenda. "And where's your gun, Brenda Leigh?"

Brenda's hand shot down to the holster at her hip but found it empty. Hers was in the car too. "Oh…" Her eyes snapped back at Sharon. "Why didn't you grab your gun?"

"Why didn't you?" Sharon retorted.

"Oh for heavens' sake!" Brenda groaned. "Now what?"

The snapping of branches alarmed both of them and they looked up to find the bear had abandoned the car and was now slowly making its way towards the tree line. It was only now that Sharon truly realised the size of the animal. It was much bigger than she had expected. She willed herself to remain calm but frantically looked around for anything that could help them get out of the animal's way. Beside her, Brenda stood nailed to the ground.

"Brenda?" Sharon took the blonde's arm. "BRENDA?!"

"What?"

Sharon pointed at the bear. It had changed direction again and was headed straight towards them. Sharon wondered if it could smell them. "Go!"

It happened fast. Faster than Sharon had anticipated. Her suspicions about the bear being able to smell them were confirmed when the animal suddenly sped up and closed in on them. Without thinking Sharon grabbed hold of Brenda's hand and dragged her along. It took a few seconds for Brenda's brain to catch up but then she realised they were running and when she looked over her shoulder, she saw the bear was maybe ten, fifteen metres behind them and closing in fast.

Brenda couldn't remember the last time she'd run from anything, other than her responsibilities, and it seemed surreal she was now actually running from a hungry bear. She tightened her grip on Sharon's hand and allowed the older woman to lead her. Sharon's eye sight seemed to be better than Brenda's in the dark and she easily avoided trees and low hanging branches.

Suddenly Sharon came to a stop and she put both her hands on Brenda's shoulders. Intense green eyes pierced into brown. "Can you climb?"

Brenda's heart thundered in her chest. "In theory, yes."

"Time to put that theory to the test then," Sharon insisted and pushed Brenda towards the tall tree behind them. Sharon nudged Brenda's shoulder to indicate she had to go first. When Brenda shot her a glance, she rolled her eyes. "Just for once, ok? Don't get used to it."

It took a bit more effort than she had expected but Brenda managed to get her feet up on the first branch and grabbed hold of the one above her head. She kicked off her shoes and once she was bare foot she had a better grip. Forgetting about the fact she wore a skirt and Sharon probably got to see a lot more than she'd bargained for, Brenda managed to climb up a few more branches. She looked over her shoulder and found Sharon had only just reached the tree. The bear was not far behind her.

Brenda let out a sharp squeal of fright as she yelled for Sharon to hurry. She was drowned out by Sharon's own voice but she couldn't quite make out what it was she was saying.

The bear seemed to move even quicker and for a split second Brenda didn't think Sharon was going to make it but then she grabbed hold of the lowest branch and pulled herself up. The bear rose up on its back legs and swiped at Sharon's feet as she sought to find some grip. She lost her right shoe and then then her left and yelped in pain when the bear's claw got hold of her ankle.

Sharon kicked, hard, and the bear let go for just one moment, but it was all she needed to pull herself up to the next branch and out of the animal's reach.

"You ok?" Brenda called and Sharon nodded.

"You?"

"I'll get back to you on that," she answered as she extended a hand and helped Sharon climb onto the same branch she was sitting on.

It was thick and wide enough to easily support the two of them. It wasn't exactly the presidential suite but there were probably more uncomfortable places in the world. Brenda sat back and tried to catch her breath. She peered at Sharon through her eyelashes. The brunette was panting slightly.

"So," Brenda sighed as she dared to look down to see if the bear was gone yet. She saw its big head at the bottom of the tree. It had one of Sharon's shoes in its mouth. She let herself fall back against the thick trunk of the tree and shook her head. "Now what do we do?"

"I don't know, Brenda. Why do I have to make all the decisions?" Sharon answered. She wiped the fine layer of sweat off her forehead. "Is it still there?"

Brenda nodded. "It's eating your shoes."

"What?!" Sharon looked horrified. "Those shoes cost nearly 300 dollars!"

"You wear shoes that cost 300 dollars? Who spends that much on shoes?" Brenda demanded to know.

"This coming from a woman who spends a fortune on candy?" Sharon snapped. "So instead of worrying about shoes, worry about how the hell we're going to get down from here."

"Same way we got up. Just without the bear." Brenda deadpanned.

"Thank you so much for that clever input," Sharon sighed and brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes. She felt the sharp pain in her ankle and flinched.

From where she was sitting Brenda noticed for the first time how tired Sharon looked. She often forgot Sharon was a good ten years older than she was and Brenda herself felt the impact of her age in this moment. Perhaps the running and climbing had been harder on Sharon than Brenda had first thought. The longer she looked, the more she noticed the lines that had formed around Sharon's eyes.

Brenda could feel her feet were freezing. It was cold and she noticed Sharon shivered. "Are you ok?" she carefully inquired.

"Fine," Sharon answered abruptly. "All this because you just had to drive home tonight?!" She snapped and Brenda looked up in surprise. "You just couldn't wait till morning to drive home, could you?"

Brenda's eyes widened a little. "Sharon, what is…"

"Because that's what always happens. Whatever Brenda Leigh Johnson wants, Brenda Leigh Johnson gets. Do you ever stop and think about the fact your actions may have consequences?"

"The car breaking down and us getting chased up a tree is hardly something anyone would stop to think about!"

"I'm serious, Brenda Leigh!" Sharon quipped. She shivered as the cold wind pulled at her hair. She wished she'd at least brought her coat from the car. She rubbed her hands together in an attempt to keep her fingers warm and looked at the blonde woman who was now watching her with curious brown eyes. "Why is it you can never see that?"

Brenda didn't answer but watched instead as Sharon tried to huddle a little deeper into her blazer. She felt the cold too. Wearing a skirt, a simple plain t-shirt and cardigan wasn't exactly the kind of attire for a night in the woods. She could still hear the bear claw at the bottom of the tree, heard its low growl cut through the silence of the night.

"Come here," Brenda softly beckoned. Sharon was sitting on the branch, her legs still dangling over the edge, and she didn't seem at all comfortable. Brenda wasn't all that comfortable herself but she was closer to the trunk than Sharon. "It's more comfortable if you have something to lean against. And warmer too."

She looked around to see if there was a better place to sit. When they first got up here it had just been to get away from the animal below but now that they were stuck here, they might as well get comfortable. Brenda noticed the branch behind her that was splitting from the trunk. It split into a separate branch from the one they were already sitting on. The parts attached to the trunk were almost fused together and she and Sharon could sit against the trunk together easily.

"There," she said and pointed. "Do you think you can get there?"

Sharon hesitated for a moment but then nodded.

"Good," Brenda said. "I'll go first, ok?"

She looked around and found the branch above her. She grabbed it with her right hand, making sure she felt secure enough before standing up. She held on with both hands before carefully stepping backwards to the other branch. The branch felt rough against her bare feet. She then watched as Sharon carefully began moving along the branch until she reached the trunk. Once Sharon was almost at the trunk Brenda slowly went to sit down and waited for Sharon to turn around so that they were facing each other.

Sharon reached the trunk and let out a deep sigh. Her body ached and when she tried to swing her legs over to the other side so she could face Brenda, she felt the sharp pain again in her lower leg. She tentatively looked down and noticed her pants were ripped. Carefully she pulled the fabric back a little and exposed an angry looking gash across her skin. The pain was burning now, like someone had poured acid across her skin, and Sharon clamped her jaws together.

"Sharon?" Brenda asked. "Are you ok?"

"Fine."

It was pretty clear that Sharon wasn't fine but Brenda didn't ask any further. "Listen, if you turn around, it'll be easier to stay warm. And, for what it's worth, I'm sorry about your shoes." She knew that it sounded a little strange but it was the best she could do.

Sharon smiled at that and slowly managed to turn around on the branch until she was facing Brenda. She was surprised by how comfortable the blonde looked and she guessed Brenda had done this before. Not to hide from a bear, mind you, but climbing trees in general.

The tension in her chest only tightened now that the adrenaline that had been pumping through her veins wore off. For the first time since spotting the bear, her mind became clear and the realisation of what had happened kicked in. She looked at Brenda. They were stuck in the middle of nowhere up a fucking tree, without any cell phone reception and Sharon suspected she had just been semi mauled by a bear. She was probably going to need a tetanus shot in the not too distant future.

"What do we do?" she asked, her voice suddenly a little small.

"We wait," Brenda answered. "Till the bear leaves. Or till morning comes or help arrives. Whichever comes first."

"And what if help doesn't arrive?"

"If we're not back in Los Angeles by mornin', someone's goin' to know somethin' happened to us," Brenda reassured her. "Lieutenant Provenza will…"

"Provenza?" Sharon interjected. "You're putting your faith in Provenza?! What's next, having him launch a rescue mission together with Flynn?"

"What I mean is, someone will realise and it'll all be ok," Brenda said.

"And what if they don't?"

Brenda was taken aback by Sharon's sudden change in demeanour. The usually stoic FID Captain now seemed emotional, bordering on anxious. She swallowed her own insecurities and moved closer until she could take Sharon's hand. It was cold and she quickly pulled it closer to her, reached for Sharon's other hand and covered them both with her own. When Sharon looked up Brenda met her eyes.

"It's going to be OK," she promised. She ran her thumb over the back of Sharon's hand. Her skin was soft. Brenda wasn't used to being the one in the reassuring role and she wasn't quite sure she knew how to play it.

"I've hurt my ankle," Sharon whispered. "I think the bear…I don't even know if I can get out of this tree again." She glanced down into the darkness below. They were up higher than she thought. She felt a little dizzy just thinking about it. Panic settled in, took a firm hold of her brain. "Shit, what if we're going to be stuck up here till tomorrow morning?"

"Sharon, listen to me," Brenda insisted as she moved closer still. Seeing the Captain like this unnerved Brenda. She wasn't used to it. Sharon wasn't ever the one to lose control. "Sharon, listen to me…" She put a stronger emphasis on her words but it seemed that Sharon just didn't hear her. Sharon's eyes were distant, like she'd gotten lost somewhere.

Brenda still held Sharon's hands between her own. They were freezing and she gently rubbed them together to make them feel warm. She wasn't sure what she was doing was right but she kept her eyes fixed on Sharon and kept talking to her. "Sharon, just look at me," she repeated. "Look at me."

Sharon looked up but Brenda wasn't sure the brunette actually saw her. She was shaking now; Brenda could feel her arms tremble. Was she cold? She had to be, the temperature seemed to be dropping quickly. Carefully she let her hands slide up and down the length of Sharon's arms creating friction in an effort to promote warmth. The shaking didn't quite stop but it wasn't as bad as before. Brenda felt a strand of Sharon's hair against her fingers and touched it. Sharon turned her head a little, as if she only now noticed the blonde was actually still there.

"We can't stay here," Sharon muttered. "We have to get down and find a way to get help. We need to…"

"Sharon, it's going to be ok," Brenda repeated, it has become like a mantra now. "We won't be here forever. Maybe an hour, at worst two. No more. Before we know it we'll be back in Los Angeles and…"

The low growling coming from the darkness below reminded them that they were still not alone. Brenda tried to see but couldn't quite make out the bear, however she could hear it move around and that was all the confirmation she needed.

"Who's going to find us here? They don't even know where we are." Sharon looked thoroughly panicked now. "Even if they launch a search and rescue party…"

"If they do then they'll find us sooner or later. We're not that far from the main road. Look, you can almost see it through the branches!" Brenda pointed in the general direction of where she thought the road was. She wasn't even sure she was right but she had to try something. She looked back at Sharon and could see the fear in her eyes. This was so unlike the Captain, it made her feel almost uncomfortable but at the same time it pushed her to be the one to keep a level head. There really was a first time for everything.

Sharon logically knew Brenda was talking sense. She knew they were close to the road and that the animal below them wouldn't stay there forever. But she was injured and she really didn't know how she was going to get down without hurting herself even more. The pain in her ankle was sharp and the thought of adding to that wasn't something she wanted to consider. But what other choice did she have? And even if they did come down, the car was still broken. They still needed rescuing one way or another. If only they'd just booked a flight like Sharon had suggested…

"I have somewhere I need to be tomorrow afternoon. I can't miss it. And I just really, really don't want to be stuck here," Sharon said. She spoke quickly and her words seemed to almost blend together. The cold began to settle into her body, crept into her bones, and she shivered violently.

Brenda shook her head. "You'll be home soon," she insisted. "I promise."

"How can you even promise that?" Sharon stared at Brenda, wide eyed. "You don't know that! We could be here for hours and…"

Before she realised what she was doing, Brenda leaned in and kissed the Captain firmly on the lips, if only to shut the other woman up.

Sharon froze, eyes still wide open. Somewhere in the back of her mind she noted that Brenda's lips tasted of coffee and chocolate.

One second… Two seconds…

And then she lost herself. She lost herself in the feeling of Brenda softly kissing her, of tasting coffee and chocolate not only on Brenda's lips but on her own too. She didn't even hesitate when Brenda's tongue softly pressed against her lips seeking entrance and Sharon leaned deeper into the kiss. Brenda's hands were still on her shoulders but travelled slowly to the sides of her face, cupping her cheek. Sharon didn't even think about where her own hands were. All she noticed, all she felt, was Brenda.

Sharon had never been one to fight for control during a kiss and this time was no different. She tentatively met Brenda's tongue with her own and let out a soft gasp when Brenda gently bit her lower lip. Sharon captured the younger woman's lips more fiercely and something stirred inside of her, something warm, and she let it take hold.

Sharon's left hand found its way into Brenda's hair, firmly threading the blonde curls and pulled her deeper into the kiss. She felt Brenda's fingers trail from her cheek down the side of her neck until they reached the collar of her blazer. Soft fingertips danced over the suddenly glowing skin of Sharon's neck. Brenda circled her fingers around until she found the spot where she could feel Sharon's thundering heartbeat against her fingertips.

Sharon jumped a little at the feeling of Brenda's fingers against her skin and almost lost her balance. Her body swayed for a couple of seconds before she regained control and she managed to stay exactly where she was but her grip on Brenda tightened a little, drawing a soft gasp from the younger woman's mouth.

Sharon's other hand rested on Brenda's shoulder but dipped a little lower, down towards where the neckline of Brenda's t-shirt met her skin.

Brenda felt as if her mind was rapidly spinning out of control. She leaned even closer to Sharon but gravity took hold, her body shifted slightly and she felt herself slipping. Her core muscles tightened in an attempt to control her body. Her eyes snapped open and the reality of what was happening hit her

As suddenly as it had begun, it was over. All at once Brenda gained control of her senses and she instantly pulled away from the older woman. She let her hands fall into her lap and didn't dare look at Sharon. She blushed and although Sharon couldn't really see it in the dark, Brenda still felt self-conscious because of it.

"Brenda…" Sharon Began.

"I'm so sorry Captain," Brenda stuttered as she looked around to try and find the best way to put some distance between them. The use of Sharon's title instead of her name changed the atmosphere almost immediately

Sharon reached out for Brenda in that instant and stilled her with a hand on her knee.

"It's OK, Brenda Leigh. Really, it's OK."

Only it wasn't OK and Sharon knew it. She was left reeling from what had just happened. But they were stuck up a tree for God sake, with literally nowhere to go, so what else was she to say?

It occurred to Sharon that Brenda's impulsive action might have done her a favour as all of a sudden she was a lot calmer than she had been a few minutes earlier. Stunned might have been a better word to describe it, but whatever it was, Sharon was suddenly back to being in control of her thoughts and she realised something.

"Brenda, do you still have your cell phone on you?"

"Yes," was Brenda's dull reply. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking that maybe if you were to climb a little higher up, we might be able to get a signal," Sharon stated flatly.

Brenda gave this idea some thought and cursed herself for not thinking of it herself.

"I suppose it's worth a try."

She slowly stood and looked up. There was another branch she could climb to quite easily and she managed to pull herself up. Once she was sure she'd found her footing Brenda made her way up higher into the tree with surprising ease. Maybe all those years of building tree houses with her brothers had finally paid off. She reached a thick branch not too far from the top and after she'd sat down with her back against the trunk, she looked down to see if she could spot Sharon.

"You OK?" she called out.

"Fine," Sharon's voice called back from the darkness. Brenda couldn't see her.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. The screen lit up and she waited with baited breath to see if the dreaded words 'no signal' changed into what she hoped would be a bar of cell service. Brenda rested her head against the trunk and almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation she had found herself in. Would anyone actually believe her if she told them she was stuck up a tree in the middle of nowhere together with Sharon Raydor because they were chased by an angry bear? She sure as hell wouldn't believe anyone who would tell her that story…

And what was she thinking kissing Sharon? Had she even wanted to kiss Sharon Raydor?

It wasn't exactly like Brenda was free to kiss whoever she wanted in this world; the wedding ring on her finger was a firm reminder of that. But then again, it hadn't exactly meant anything. She'd just tried to get Sharon to shut up, bring her back into the moment somehow. And it had worked. So what if Sharon had kissed her back? It didn't have to mean anything. Brenda had just tried to help her and that was all there was to it.

It had to be.

Brenda looked back down at her phone and noticed to her delight that she had one whole bar of service. She dialled Fritz's number and held the phone close to her ear. She'd never been so glad to hear the sound of a phone ringing. But after the third ring the voice mail kicked in and Brenda didn't even wait for her husband's voice to ask her to leave a message. She hung up and dialled the second number that came to mind. The person on the other side answered after the first ring.

"Chief?"

"Lieutenant," Brenda sighed in relief at the sound of Provenza's voice. That alone was something she had never expected. "Listen, the reception here is awful but I need you to do something for me, alright?"

"Sure."

"Captain Raydor and I have encountered a little bit of trouble on our way back to Los Angeles." Brenda bit down on her lip. There was no way she was going to get out of this without having to say the actual words. "The car broke down and we are…" She closed her eyes. "Stuck up a tree."

"Excuse me?" Provenza asked and Brenda could just imagine him as he raised his eyebrows. "Did you just say that you and Captain Raydor are stuck up a tree?"

"Yes, Lieutenant."

"Do I want to know how that happened?"

"I imagine yes, but I am not going to tell you." Brenda snapped. "I need you to get in touch with Sheriff's office or…" She tried to remember who carried the responsibility for things like this. "Oh, I don't know, whoever's in charge of rescuing stranded drivers. Just get someone to come pick us up. We're somewhere off the I-5. Last town we past was maybe fifty miles back. Middle of nowhere kind of place. Think it's called Sandville. It had a Sherriff's office."

"Do I ask for a crane too?" Provenza snorted. He could barely contain his amusement. Just wait till the guys heard about this, he thought to himself.

"A crane, Lieutenant?"

"You know, to get you and the Captain out of that tree."

Brenda could have sworn she heard him stifle a snort. "Just get on the phone, Lieutenant." When he confirmed that he was on it she hung up and shook her head. There was no way she was ever going to live this down.

She put the phone back in her pocket and gazed down in the general direction of the Captain. She knew they still had a bit of a wait ahead of them, and that she should probably climb back down there and wait with Sharon, but for some reason Brenda could not bring herself to do it.

"Is everything OK up there?" Sharon called from the branches below. "Are you alright, Brenda?"

"Yes, Yes, Sharon, everything's fine." Brenda lied. "I'm on my way back down now."

Getting down was harder than getting up but Brenda managed. Her feet were cold, sore and undoubtedly bruised but when she reached the spot where she had left Sharon, Brenda just sighed. The brunette was leaning against the trunk and looked up at Brenda with hopeful eyes. "Well?"

"I spoke to Lieutenant Provenza. He's contacting the Sheriff's office back in Sandville and someone will be on their way to pick us up." Brenda stared down at her bare feet. She couldn't bring herself to look at Sharon.

"So it won't be long?"

"It shouldn't be, no."

Sharon nodded and looked down into the darkness below them. "I think it's gone. The bear, I mean."

"Really?" Brenda looked down too. She listened. She didn't hear any leaves rustling or branches snapping, no low growling. There was only silence. When she looked back up and found Sharon watching her, she almost wished for the bear to be back. It seemed easier to deal with that then with the look in Sharon's eyes.

"About earlier…" Sharon tried but Brenda shook her head.

"Let's just forget about it, OK?"

Sharon nodded, slightly taken aback by Brenda's sharp response.

After the blonde had climbed up higher, she'd thought about what happened. All she wanted was for Brenda to know that they could talk about if she wanted to. Because Sharon wanted to. But clearly Brenda didn't and that was the end of it. So she leaned back against the trunk, pulled her knees up towards her chest and looked down at her ankle. She couldn't see much in the dark but she felt the cuts along the length of her foot.

Brenda went to sit back in her own spot and jumped when her hand accidentally brushed against Sharon's. She softly mumbled an apology and then focused on the bit of the sky she could see through the branches and leaves and tried to count the stars.

Neither knew how long it had been but eventually Sharon noticed the tiny speck of light in the distance that seemed to be coming closer. She turned to Brenda and tapped her on the arm. Brenda lifted her head up and looked into the direction Sharon was pointing. She had to squint but she saw the light move in the distance and her heartbeat quickened. Only five minutes later the unmistakeable sound of a car engine cut through the silence and Sharon let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank God for that."

Brenda got up. The car's headlights were just a few metres away and the vehicle had come to a stop. In the bright beam she could now make out the shape of their car and the lone figure she guessed was a man exiting from the other vehicle.

"Chief Johnson?! Captain Raydor?!" The man's voice travelled through the night. "It's Deputy Sheriff Walker!"

Brenda and Sharon shared a look and Sharon nodded.

"We're here!" Brenda called back. "We could use a little help!"

"I'll be right over. What are you doing there anyway?!"

Sharon shook her head. "It's a long story."

Brenda looked at Sharon, noticed the way the brunette was holding her foot. "Are you going to be alright making your way down?"

"What, you plan to carry me?" Sharon joked but then nodded. "I'll be fine. I might just need a little help when we I get to the bottom."

"I'll go first then, Brenda suggested.

She made her way down the tree and reached the lowest branch after just a few minutes. She looked around to reassure herself the bear really was gone and noticed Deputy Sheriff's Walker's flashlight cutting through the darkness as he approached. Brenda jumped down from the last branch to the ground and landed neatly on her feet before turning around to see Sharon was only a couple of branches behind her. She could tell she wasn't putting a lot of weight on her foot and when she reached the last branch, Sharon hesitated.

"I don't think I can jump down. My foot's never going to take the blow."

"Ok," Brenda said. "Maybe if you sit down on the branch, let yourself slide off and just…" She almost flinched at her own words. "I will kind of catch you when you land"

Sharon bit back an answer and did what Brenda had told her. She sat down, her feet dangling over the edge and waited for Brenda to position herself in such a way she could support Sharon.

"Don't you let me fall," she warned.

"I wouldn't dare. Can you imagine the paperwork?!"

Sharon carefully let herself slide down and landed on her uninjured foot. Brenda's arms were right there to support her and Sharon looked up into those big brown eyes. Neither of them spoke. The next second both their faces were lit up by the Deputy Sheriff's flashlight.

"Chief Johnson?" he asked and Brenda raised her hand.

"Are you alright? Is anyone hurt?"

"We're fine, though Captain Raydor has hurt her foot," Brenda answered.

Sheriff Walker moved his light down to the ground and noticed the two pairs of abandoned shoes. Each one had been mauled, and one of Brenda's had been shredded completely. He looked back up at the two women. "What happened?"

Brenda just shook her head. "You don't wanna know."

"You must be freezing. I have some blankets and hot coffee in my car."

He turned around and started heading back in the direction of the car. Brenda followed him, keen to get into the warm car and create some distance between herself and Sharon. It was only when that last thought struck her that she remembered what had happened to Sharon's foot and she glance dover her shoulder. She could see Sharon limping as she tried to catch up. She turned around and headed back over to the brunette.

"Come on," she said softly as she slipped one of Sharon's arms around her shoulders to help take some of the weight. She suddenly shivered and she was unsure if it was because of the cold or because Sharon was now so close to her again.

"Brenda?" Sharon asked softly. "I just wanted to…"

"Please, Sharon, don't," Brenda cut her off. There was a sharpness to her voice that struck Sharon. "It was a mistake." She swallowed hard. The words hurt even if she didn't understand why. "It never should have happened. I just want to forget it."

Sharon just nodded. "Sorry."

Brenda was struck by how small and fragile the Captains voice seemed.

They reached the car and Brenda held the back passenger door for Sharon and helped her get in. She then softly closed the door and circled the vehicle. After informing Sheriff Walker that she and Sharon had left their guns in the car and giving him the keys, Brenda got in on the other side.

A few minutes went by before Walker appeared by the passenger door. He handed Brenda her weapon and she holstered it before giving Sharon hers. She then gratefully accepted the blankets Walker handed to her.

Brenda handed the first blanket to Sharon before draping the second one around herself. It was only now that she realised how cold she felt. Walker produced two plastic cups from somewhere and poured hot coffee into them.

"Sorry, it's just plain black," he apologised. "It's all I've got."

Brenda usually took two sugars in her coffee or honey in her tea and she was pretty sure Sharon had cream in hers but she accepted the warm cup and took a small sip from the hot liquid. She watched Sharon from the corner of her eye and noticed the way she was cradling the cup between her hands, the way she was staring out of the window, her face blank. She'd covered herself completely with the blanket apart from her hands and was huddled against the door, completely absent from the moment.

"I've got a first aid kit but I think your friend really could do with seeing a doctor," Walker said as he leaned into the back of the car and handed the first aid kit to Brenda.

"Thank you." Brenda nodded and accepted the offering. She placed her coffee on the centre console and looked at the First Aid Kit in her lap. Brenda had been trained in first aid but for some reason everything she had been taught had suddenly flown out the window.

She opened the kit and removed some gauze then she glanced at the Captain again. Brenda reached over and gently pulled the blanket away from Sharon's ankle to expose the injury. Her first thought was to stop the bleeding, but seeing as it appeared there wasn't much bleeding at this stage, Brenda decided the best thing to do was nothing. It was more important to get Sharon to a hospital and have it properly taken care of than worry about wasting time here in the car. Besides, Sharon didn't look to be in too much pain, not physically anyway, so instead Brenda closed up the first aid kit and set it aside before moving Sharon's blanket back into place and reclaiming her coffee.

Behind the wheel now, Walker waited for Brenda to get situated before starting the engine. The heating kicked in almost straight away.

"I'll arrange for someone to tow your car tomorrow morning," Walker said and he made eye contact with Brenda through the rear view mirror.

Brenda just nodded and then looked back at Sharon. The older woman hadn't said anything since getting in the car and Brenda felt guilty for having rejected her earlier. She sensed Sharon wanted to talk about what happened even though Brenda didn't. But it wasn't just about what she wanted, Brenda thought. This was just as much about how Sharon felt too.

Slowly she sat up and moved a little across the back seat. Sharon was holding her cup in her left hand whilst the other lay in her lap. She looked up when she felt Brenda's fingers against her arm and their gazes locked as Brenda threaded her fingers with Sharon's. Sharon's hand was warm now and their fingers fitted perfectly together.

Minutes slowly began to tick by and Brenda felt Sharon lay her head down against her shoulder. She held her breath for just a moment, almost too afraid to move in case Sharon pulled away, but then she relaxed and carefully angled her position so that Sharon could rest more comfortably against her. She smiled as she caught a glimpse of their reflection in the window. Sharon's eyes were closed and Brenda could feel from the steady rhythm of her breathing that the older woman was asleep.

Brenda looked down at her fingers still entwined with Sharon's and she knew they would have to talk about the events of their evening eventually. What had happened was too big a thing to go unprocessed. Brenda knew Sharon would have to deal with the kiss and she also knew that part of the way Sharon would deal with it was to talk about that. Brenda supposed she could do that for Sharon, just not tonight. Tonight she just wanted to sit in the back seat of the Sheriffs car and hold Sharon's hand whilst she slept. Brenda wasn't sure why but sitting here, with Sharon beside her, was the safest Brenda had felt in a very long time.

They would figure this out, one way or another. But until then, the quiet of the backseat and the feeling of Sharon's hand in hers, was enough.

* * *

 **Note:** Obviously we are aware that bears can climb. We just decided this one couldn't.


	3. Somewhere In Time

**Summary:** A midnight breakdown puts Brenda and Sharon in a rather mysterious situation

 **Pairing:** Brenda Leigh Johnson/Sharon Raydor

 **Rating:** T **  
**

 **Timeline:** Set during The Closer

 **Note:** This is the second story in the series that see Brenda and Sharon get stuck together.

* * *

 **II. SOMEWHERE IN TIME**

The monotone noise of the car engine would have been soothing in any other moment but the violent lashing of the rain against the windscreen prevented her from properly enjoying the experience of being the passenger for once. Brenda's elbow rested on the door, supporting her head with her hand as she scraped her nails over her scalp. She was tired and her eyes were burning but she didn't dare take them off the road.

"I'm pretty sure we should've turned right twenty miles ago," Sharon, who was behind the wheel, interrupted her thoughts. She briefly took her hand of the wheel and made a random gesture. "We missed the exit. There is nothing here." She shot Brenda a sideways glance. "That's the last time I follow your directions."

"I'm surprised there was ever a first time," Brenda drawled.

The road they were on was meant to be the interstate but it very obviously was not. Occasionally a car came by in the opposite direction and she was certain that one way or another this road would also see them home but it wasn't exactly as she had planned. The heavens had opened two hours ago and the rain was relentless and came down so fast and hard, they could barely see the hood of the car. The windscreen wipers were furiously trying to provide them with a clear view but with the skies growing grey as darkness fell, their problems were about to get a whole lot worse.

Brenda still didn't understand why Pope had sent her to a conference just outside of Los Angeles with Sharon Raydor of all people. At first she thought he was trying to punish her for once again ignoring his instructions but, by the second day of the conference and way too much time spent in the annoying Captain's presence, Brenda was convinced Pope's plan really was for her to kill Sharon Raydor.

She still wasn't sure how she hadn't done just that.

Sharon had insisted on driving back to the city, since Brenda had driven them to the conference, and Brenda had looked forward to sleeping her way through most of the journey. So far she had managed exactly fourteen minutes of sleep since getting in the car and frankly, she was afraid she going to lose her mind.

What roused Brenda from her thoughts wasn't the sound of the rain but an outcry of fear she quickly realised came from Sharon. Her head whipped up and at the last second she caught a glimpse of the outline of a deer in the yellow headlights of the car. The next moment the car swerved and began to spin.

Sharon's fingers tightened around the wheel, her knuckles white, as she desperately attempted to keep control of the vehicle. Tyres squeaked and somewhere she heard Brenda call her name, then she lost the little grip she had and the wheel slipped out of her fingers as the car spun faster before crashing with a sickening thud against a tree.

Sharon blinked as she felt the rain fall down on her face. The side window had smashed and the rain was streaming into the car. She moved slowly, her body aching as she unbuckled her seatbelt. She turned to look next to her and found Brenda staring at her with big brown eyes.

"Are you ok, Captain?" the blonde Chief asked. Her voice was surprisingly clear.

Sharon noticed Brenda wasn't wearing her seatbelt anymore. "Yes," she answered. "I think so."

"Are you able to get out?" Brenda looked past Sharon. "Is your door jammed?"

Sharon reached to try the door and found that it was indeed jammed. The crash had broken the lock and the door didn't move. She looked back at Brenda. The blonde had managed to open her own door and as Sharon watched, she scrambled out of the vehicle and disappeared into the rainy night.

Seconds later Brenda's face appeared again. "You're goin' to have to climb out this way, Capt'n. That tree on your side ain't goin' to move."

Sharon just nodded and managed to pull up her legs from under the steering wheel and got onto her knees. For a split second she wished Brenda wasn't still watching her because it was anything but flattering to try and climb out of a car this way but when she saw Brenda lean back into the car and reach out a hand, Sharon forgot about that thought. She managed to climb onto the passenger seat and eventually she got her legs out of the car and allowed Brenda to take her arm and help her to her feet. She felt a little lightheaded and tightened her grip on the Chief's arm, swaying slightly, and flinched when in the distance she heard the unmistakable sound of thunder.

The rain hammered down on her, soaking her within seconds, and Sharon was momentarily robbed of her breath.

Brenda had circled around the back of the vehicle and was trying to open the trunk. It was heavily damaged. Both taillights were smashed and Sharon heard some of the plastic break underneath her shoes as she walked over to join Brenda. The car had made a full spin and the rear end had also smashed against the tree. Brenda tried the trunk a second time but then shook her head.

"It's stuck."

"So we don't have our bags," Sharon stated. "Now what?"

"Do you have a signal?" Brenda asked as she checked her own cell phone. The depressing sight of the words 'no signal' didn't do anything to lift her mood. She looked up at Sharon but her face fell when she saw the brunette shook her head.

"No signal," Sharon answered. "We're in the middle of nowhere. I doubt they've even heard of cell phones around here."

"We should get back on the road," Brenda suggested, ignoring Sharon's sarcasm. She looked over her shoulder. The road was only a few yards behind them. "It's not far. We can try and find some place where we can shelter until this goddamn rain lets up."

"Shelter? I don't think we've seen any sign of civilisation for at least the last thirty miles!"

Brenda shot Sharon a look. "I don't think I've seen any this entire trip."

Sharon heaved a sigh. She was sore and her wet clothes were heavy. The idea of having to walk in them was less than appealing but, as much as it pained her, she had to admit that Brenda was right. They had to find some kind of shelter and the car itself wouldn't do.

Brenda walked back to the front of the car and leaned back in to the passenger side to scoop up her handbag from the footwell. She then reached behind the driver's seat where Sharon had put her bag and picked that one up too. Holding the two bags she walked back over to Sharon.

"It's better than nothing," she said as she handed the Captain her bag. She then started towards the road and Sharon, after carefully swinging the bag over her shoulder, followed.

"We should probably just keep walking in the direction we were going because there is nothing where we came from," Brenda said. "I don't know if there's going to be anywhere but…" She didn't finish that sentence, not quite prepared to accept the possibility that there could very well be nowhere to find shelter.

She started walking and Sharon fell into step beside her. They walked in silence as neither really seemed to know what to say. Neither had been thrilled about this trip and now that things had taken a different turn, they were even less amused. The rain was still relentless and the rumbling of thunder seemed to be closing in. The last thing Brenda fancied was the idea of being stuck out in the rain with lightning flashing over her head.

Brenda only noticed Sharon was no longer beside her when she went to ask her if she was ok. She looked over her shoulder and saw the Captain a few steps behind her, a pained expression on her face. It was only then that Brenda wondered if maybe the impact from the crash had caused Sharon more discomfort than she had initially thought. She waited for the brunette to catch up with her.

"Captain, is everythin' alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Sharon answered and although they were nowhere near being friendly, Brenda could tell Sharon was lying.

"You are not fine," she concluded, pointing at the way Sharon was holding her side. "Are you hurt?"

"It's just a bruise," Sharon argued. "Probably from the seatbelt."

Brenda was about to counter with a sharp statement about how seatbelt injuries could be dangerous when something caught her attention. A faint flicker of light in the vast darkness. She turned around and to her surprise she saw the light flicker a second time. Her hand shot out to Sharon's arm to draw the older woman's attention but she noticed Sharon was already looking; she had seen it too.

"Could be a house," Brenda suggested.

"In the middle of nowhere? Who lives in the middle of nowhere like that?"

"You've never been to Georgia, have you?" Brenda retorted. "Come on."

"What? You want to go check it out?" Sharon arched an eyebrow in surprise. For a moment she wondered how on Earth Brenda had ever gotten through the Academy, let alone made it up the ranks. "Really?"

"Listen, if you want to get struck by lightning out here, be my guest," Brenda snapped. "But if there's a chance we can get the hell out of this weather, I'll take it!"

"Fine," Sharon relented. "But if we end up stumbling across some axe murderer…"

"What, you'll kill me?" Brenda finished with a hint of amusement.

They started walking again and after fifty yards or so Brenda noticed the road diverted to the right into more of a country lane. She guessed that on a normal sunny day it was just a dusty road but right now it was muddy and every few steps there was a massive puddle of dirty rain water they had to avoid. She walked slowly, allowing Sharon to keep up, and Brenda felt a sense of relief when through the trees she recognised the unmistakable light flickering behind a window.

The road led to an old, rusty metal gate that squeaked when Brenda pushed against it. The sound cut through her, causing her to shiver, and she held the gate so Sharon could enter too. When it closed behind them, it was like a bullet being fired and the sound echoed all around them. The two women looked up at the house that had loomed up in front of them.

The old farm house had clearly seen better days and was surrounded by tall, dark trees; the whole thing cut an eerie shape against the black backdrop. Faint lights flickered behind the windows that looked like they hadn't been cleaned for years and Brenda glanced at Sharon.

"What is this place?" Sharon asked.

"I have no idea," Brenda answered. The idea of finding shelter here seemed a lot less appealing now. It was the kind of house where people would find themselves trapped in really bad horror movies. The urge to turn around was strong but rationally she knew the chances of finding anywhere else that would allow them to get out of this weather were near enough non-existent.

With her left hand firmly on the gun strapped to her waist, Brenda approached the front door. Sharon was right behind her and just before she knocked, Brenda noticed Sharon had her hand on her gun too. They shared a look but didn't speak and Brenda knocked the big heavy lions head shaped brass knocker three times in quick succession.

Moments later the door opened and the figure appearing in the doorway confirmed to Brenda that maybe Sharon had been right and finding somewhere else to go would have been better.

"Yes?" the woman asked, narrowing her eyes as she took in the two soaking wet women standing on her doorstep.

She was old, Brenda guessed she had to be at least eighty. She was dressed in a dark skirt that would have been fashionable sometime in the fifties and a dark grey blouse that probably also should have been discarded some time ago, she wore dark stockings and old fashioned black leather shoes and her silvery grey hair was pulled back into a severe bun on top of her head. Intense steel blue eyes pierced into Brenda's

"Sorry to disturb you this late, Ma'am," Brenda said, making sure to put on her best Southern charm. Her Mama would be proud of her. "Our car broke down a few miles from here and we were wondering if we could perhaps wait here until the storm passes?" She pulled her trench coat aside a little, revealing the badge on her belt.

The woman's hardened expression instantly softened at the sight of the badge and she opened the door further.

"Oh honey, of course! Come in! Come, get yourself out of that horrible rain!" She stepped aside and invited Sharon and Brenda into what turned out to be quite a large hallway.

The first thing Brenda noticed was the massive and rather gruesome painting on the wall of what looked like a witch burning trial in Salem. She stared for a long moment at the pained expression on the alleged witch's face as the two men around the stake lit the fire. She turned to glance at Sharon and caught the brunette looking at the painting too. Their eyes locked before Sharon looked away. Their wet clothes were dripping on the stone floor, leaving small puddles, and the woman appeared behind Brenda and began tugging at her coat.

"Take it off, sweetheart. You'll catch your death with all these wet clothes!" She managed to pull the coat halfway down Brenda's arms before shouting, "EDWARD! Come out here and help me!"

Footsteps approached and a man who looked possibly even older than his wife appeared in one of the doorways. He wore pants that were at least two sizes too big and a decade out of fashion, held up by grey braces that sat on top of a black shirt. He was tall, taller than most men Brenda knew, and something about the man sent a shiver down her spine. She had stared down murderers before but this old man frightened her more than any killer ever had.

"Good Lord, Mildred, what have you dragged in here now?" he growled as he took in the sight of the two women dripping wet in his hallway.

"Police officers, Edward! Their car broke down! Isn't it lucky that they happened to find us? They would've been out there all night otherwise! In that storm!" the woman named Mildred exclaimed. "Now come here and help!"

"Please, don't go to any trouble," Sharon said quickly when the man shuffled towards her, clearly with the intention of helping her with her wet coat. She quickly discarded the wet item of clothing herself and took a step back, bumping into Brenda.

"Come. Upstairs! I'm sure I can find something for you girls to wear," Mildred said as she headed towards the staircase. "We don't get many visitors you see…"

Brenda suspected something else this place didn't see much of was a dustpan and brush; the dust on the furniture in the hallway was so thick, it had probably been there since Ronald Reagan was president. She looked helplessly at Sharon but the Captain refused to make eye contact so Brenda reluctantly followed Mildred towards the stairs, with Sharon closely behind her.

Every step on the stairs creaked and the carpet that had once covered the wood had mostly worn away after years and years of use.

"Wait here," Mildred said when they reached the wide landing and she opened one of the doors and disappeared inside. Brenda counted five other doors. All were closed. All looked like they harboured some kind of horrific secret behind them.

The walls on the landing had once been wallpapered in what looked like a floral pattern. But most of the flowers had faded and the paper had turned yellow over time. It had begun to peel in the corners and at some point there had been a water leak because the ceiling was horribly stained. The only light came from a tiny bulb that looked ready to give up at any second. The landing smelt of wet carpet.

Sharon turned to Brenda now that Mildred was out of ear shotand placed her hands on her hips. "You just had to do it, didn't you?"

"What?!" Brenda hissed. "What did I do?"

"You had to knock on the door!"

"That is commonly considered the polite thing to do," Brenda answered. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "By all means, spend the night in the car."

The hint of a smile tugged at Sharon's lips. "And you have fun sleeping in here on your own, Chief Johnson."

Just then Mildred reappeared from inside the room, clutching some clothes in her hands. She looked first at Sharon and then at Brenda as if to determine their size and then shook her head. "I doubt they're a good fit but I'm afraid it's the best I can do." She pushed the clothes into Brenda's arms. "I didn't catch your name, sweetheart."

"Brenda," Brenda answered. "And that's Captain Raydor." Sharon shot her a dirty look. "I mean, Sharon. Sharon Raydor."

"Well, you two get changed. There's a room right there at the end of the hall." She pointed at the door furthest away. "And there's a bathroom right through there." Mildred now pointed at the door behind Sharon. "And then please, come down and join us for some tea. Bring your wet clothes and we'll dry them by the fire."

"Really, you don't have to…," Sharon began but Mildred cut her off.

"It's no bother honey, really. We don't get many visitors," Mildred stated again.

Sharon looked around, taking in the dated and dirty appearance of the landing. "I can't imagine why," she muttered under her breath.

Brenda, still smiling so politely that it made her jaws hurt, just nodded. This was one of those moments where she would gladly fall back on her Southern upbringing. "Thank you. We'll be down shortly."

She nudged Sharon to head towards the room Mildred had pointed at and Sharon reluctantly went ahead and opened the door. Brenda followed and quickly closed the door behind her. She turned back to look at Sharon, half expecting to find the Captain ready to engage in another verbal standoff but instead Brenda was surprised to find Sharon had sunk down onto the bed.

The bedroom was as dated and dirty as the rest of the house and sparsely decorated. Just a double bed with sheets that felt rough to the touch and a frame that squeaked when Sharon moved. The carpet was stained and old and the only other pieces of furniture in the room were a heavy wooden chest of drawers and an old rocking chair. The curtains in front of the window had probably once been green, like the sheets on the bed, but were now a filthy shade of grey.

Brenda quietly crossed the room and put the clothes Mildred had given her on the bed. She studied Sharon for a moment. "Captain?"

"Yes?" Sharon asked wearily.

"Are you alright?"

Sharon's eyes closed. Her body was sore. She had been on her feet ever since climbing out of the car and she was tired, cold and bruised. She felt unnerved by the house and its inhabitants and angry at Brenda for having missed the exit on the highway and indivertibly getting them into this situation. She wanted a warm shower, a glass of wine and her own bed. Instead she got Brenda Leigh Johnson, a body full of bruises and a house ripped straight from a horror movie.

"I'm fine," Sharon insisted. "I just… I really need to get out of these wet clothes."

She pushed herself up and began unbuttoning her blazer but stopped when she realised Brenda was watching her. Green eyes narrowed slightly. "What?"

"You're goin' to do that right here?" Brenda asked and Sharon noticed how the blonde had wrapped her arms around herself. She wasn't sure if Brenda was trying to cover herself or keep herself warm but either way, it was obvious she was uncomfortable.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before," Sharon countered and let the wet blazer slide down her arms. Next she gathered her shirt at the hem and pulled it over her head. As she did so, something sharp cut into her hand and she flinched just as she let the shirt fall to the ground. She then turned her hand over and noticed the blood trickling down her finger.

"Is that blood?" Brenda asked. She noticed Sharon was trying to wipe her hand on her pants. "Are you hurt?"

"It's just glass," Sharon answered and she reached around the back of her neck. "It's everywhere. It must be from the car window."

Brenda slowly walked across the room and silently waited for the older woman to give her approval before carefully reaching up to touch Sharon's hair. Tangled in the wet dark locks were small shards of glass. It didn't take long for Brenda to pull the first piece out and she let go of Sharon's hair.

"Sit down," she said and pointed at the side of the bed. "I'll try and get it out." She hesitated. "And you should probably take those wet pants off too."

Sharon didn't even stop to think about the fact she was undressing in front of Brenda and unzipped her slacks and let the sodden material pool around her ankles. Wearing nothing but her bra and panties she looked around the room but before she could say anything, Brenda held up the throw blanket that had been on the bed. Sharon smiled; it was a tired smile. The cold had begun to seep into her bones and she just wanted to feel warm again.

"Sit," Brenda said and Sharon quietly sat down on the bed.

She crossed her arms in front of her chest and her breath hitched slightly when she felt Brenda's fingers against the base of her neck as she gathered her hair. The Chief's hands were surprisingly warm.

Brenda couldn't help but to let her gaze trail over the Captain's back. Her skin was perfect and she felt a pang of envy. She was about to drape the blanket over Sharon's shoulders when she noticed the small drawing on Sharon's lower back, a little right of centre, and she leaned in a little. The tattoo was maybe two inches big and now that she looked more closely, Brenda recognised it as the drawing of a lily. It was black with shades of grey and it looked like Sharon had had it for a few years. The tattoo had become a perfect part of her skin. Brenda resisted touching it but the image triggered her curiosity. She would never have suspected Sharon Raydor to be the kind of person to have a tattoo.

She wanted to ask about it but instead she sat back up and focused on the task at hand.

Sharon felt the blanket being draped across her shoulders and she gingerly pulled the fabric around herself. It was surprisingly soft and although it smelt a little musty, she was glad to have the throw around her shoulders and she wrapped it tightly around her chest. Brenda let Sharon's hair fall back into place and caught another piece of glass in the palm of her hand.

"You should get out of those wet clothes first," Sharon said softly when she felt the mattress dip behind her and realised Brenda had sat down. She shivered. The air was cold and Sharon still felt cold despite the blanket. "You're going to catch your death if you stay in them much longer."

Realising that Sharon was right, Brenda stood up and without giving it too much thought she stripped off, abandoning her wet clothes on the floor. Sharon had her back turned to her so she couldn't see, which seemed to have boosted Brenda's confidence. Brenda grabbed one of the garments off the bed and pulled it over her head before slipping her arms through. The cotton felt a little rough against her skin but at least it was dry. She didn't bother to see what it looked like and sat back down behind Sharon.

"Ready?" she inquired.

Sharon's voice was soft, betraying the first hints of tiredness. "Yes."

"Ok," Brenda answered and threaded Sharon's hair with her fingers, starting close to the scalp.

The feeling of Brenda's fingers against her scalp was unexpectedly comforting and Sharon couldn't suppress a soft whimper. "Oh…"

Brenda stilled her hand for just a second, surprised, but then started the motions again. She trailed her fingers through Sharon's long hair, felt its texture against her fingertips. Now that it was wet it was sleek, quite unlike the usually perfect style the Captain sported whenever their paths crossed, and when she encountered another piece of glass, Brenda had almost forgotten that this was what she was supposed to be doing. She managed to pry the little shard from Sharon's locks and placed it in her own lap before letting the strands of hair run through her fingers again.

Sharon's eyes fluttered shut. Brenda's touch was soothing and her body slowly relaxed into the unfamiliar feeling of the other woman touching her. Outside the rain continued to hammer against the window but the sound was pushed to the background and eventually Sharon forgot about the rain altogether.

For the next fifteen minutes Brenda continued to run her fingers through Sharon's hair and found almost two dozen pieces of glass. When she eventually found no more she had gotten so used to letting Sharon's hair run through her fingers, she needed a few moments to realise that she was done. She looked at her fingers threaded in Sharon's dark hair, struck by both how comfortable and surreal this whole thing was. She tentatively let her hands slide through Sharon's hair, back up towards her scalp, before trailing back down one last time.

"I think I may have a hairbrush in my purse," she eventually said when she let go of Sharon's hair.

She gathered the glass in her lap into her hand and stood up. She left the pieces in the window sill before scooping up her oversized tote and rummaged through it a bit before finding the brush she knew was in there. When she found it she turned around and saw Sharon was still sitting on the bed, having made no attempt to move. Brenda walked back to the bed and sat back down behind Sharon. She waited, silently, expecting Sharon to take the brush but Sharon didn't speak so Brenda slowly began brushing Sharon's hair.

Sharon's hair was tangled and it took Brenda a little while before she could move the brush through the brown locks smoothly. She followed the path of the brush with her fingers and once she was sure that there were no more knots and Sharon's hair was smooth, she put down the brush and gathered Sharon's hair in both her hands. She divided the hair in three strands and slowly began braiding it. She stopped halfway, realising that throughout all of this she and Sharon hadn't spoken a word, but then continued and used the little hairband she kept on the end of her brush to tie up the end of the braid. She let it fall against Sharon's back and studied her own handiwork for a moment.

Sharon chose that moment to look over her shoulder. Their eyes met and it looked like she was going to say something but in the end she just looked away. Brenda stood up, leaving Sharon to sit on the bed alone. Sharon listened to Brenda moving around in the room and chose to sit quietly in an effort to hold onto the little moment that had just happened for a little while longer. She couldn't remember the last time someone had braided her hair and now Brenda had done it and it had felt like the most natural thing in the world.

After a few more seconds of quiet, Sharon let the throw slide off her shoulders and picked up the remaining garment Mildred had given them. She put it on and let the fabric slide over her body until it touched her toes. She looked down at herself and couldn't suppress a snort.

Alerted by the noise. Brenda turned around. "What?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.

Sharon took the opportunity to study Brenda for the first time since she had put on what turned out to be an old fashioned cotton nightie. Brenda's was long too, and reached down to her toes the same way Sharon's did. It was light blue with a white collar and a few buttons that were clearly there to protect the wearer's modesty. When done up, they would reach to the neck. The sleeves were finished off with the same white cotton frizzles that sat around the collar.

"You look like you were projected back to the 1860's," Sharon smiled. "All that's missing are two neat little braids"

Brenda placed her hands on her hips and gave the brunette the once over. "You look rather fetching yourself, Captain."

Sharon looked down at what she was wearing. Her nightgown was white but no less ugly than Brenda's. She guessed that once there had been a faint pattern on the fabric but a few too many washes had faded it beyond recognition. It had a much rounder neckline that didn't close as high as Brenda's and two little pockets on the front near her hips. Sharon had no idea why anyone would need pockets in a nightie like this.

"We should go downstairs," Sharon suggested. "We can't leave our hosts waiting."

Brenda looked like she wasn't prepared to go anywhere, least of all downstairs, but when Sharon started for the door, the blonde was right on her heels and they made their way down the stairs together. Brenda almost bumped into Sharon when they reached the bottom because the brunette unexpectedly halted.

"What?!" Brenda hissed. "What are you doin'?"

Sharon didn't get a chance to answer that because Mildred shuffled into the hallway. "Oh! I was beginning to wonder what happened." She gestured towards what Sharon suspected was the living room. "Come! Come! I've made tea! Please join us."

Brenda would have rather gone in for a root canal or stare down the barrel of a gun but she followed Mildred anyway.

Stepping into the living room felt like being catapulted into a different era, or even a different world. The furniture was old and dated and had most definitely seen better days. The rugs that covered the hard wooden floors were dirty and worn in places. A fire crackled in the big fireplace and in the arm chair sat Edward. He appeared to be staring into the flames, oblivious of the fact his wife and two visitors had just entered. On a small little wooden table stood a tray with a tea pot and four tea cups. None of them matched and two were chipped.

Mildred pointed to the couch and Sharon was the first to sit. Brenda sat down next to her and instead of leaving some space between them, she sat so close to Sharon, their legs touched. She let her eyes trail around the room. The same faded, worn and dirty wallpaper. The windows were greasy. The art on the wall was less than tasteful and depicted a mixture of scenes varying from crucifixion and torture and eventually a rather explicit sexual act. Brenda tore her eyes away from the images and a cold shiver crept down her spine. In the distance she heard something; it almost sounded like the faint echo of footsteps.

"So, you are police officers?" Mildred asked as she handed one of the teacups to Sharon

Sharon nodded as she reluctantly accepted the cup. "Yes, Ma'am."

"And what brings you out here?"

"The inability to follow directions," Sharon muttered under her breath. She felt Brenda's dark glare and said instead, "We were on our way back from a conference."

"You hear that, Edward? The police have conferences now."

"And they let women drive the cars and everythin' these days too," Brenda added dryly. She was clutching her own cup rather tightly.

The crack of thunder made Brenda jump, spilling some of the tea over herself and over Sharon. The brunette shot her a scalding look whilst Brenda tried to wipe the wetness across her own nightgown with her sleeve. The thunder was followed by a bright flash of lightning that did nothing to make the living room feel any less creepy.

Next to her, Sharon had finished drinking her lukewarm tea and put the cup back down on the tray. "Have you always lived here?" she enquired, in an attempt to start a conversation that wasn't about her and Brenda. "The house appears to be very old."

"Oh only for the last sixty years or so," Mildred answered. "But the house is a lot older than that. I think it's a hundred-and-fifty years old, maybe even older, wouldn't you say Edward?"

"You should ask the ghost that lives upstairs. Maybe he'll tell you," Edward replied and Brenda's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Oh, Edward has this ridiculous idea there's a ghost living in the house. Just because it's an old house doesn't mean it's haunted! I've told him I don't know how many times."

"You know the story about the old well and the little boy! Are you trying to tell me you've never heard the sound of a child crying on a night like this?" There was something about Edward's voice that made Brenda suddenly feel like taking Sharon's hand and running out of the door. "People around here talk, Mildred. And I'm not convinced they're lying!"

"Well, I am! And hush now because you are scaring these poor girls!" Mildred interjected. "It's a miracle I've been married to you for as long as I have!"

"Because I was the only guy stupid enough to marry you in the first place."

Sharon shot Brenda a sideways glance. They had stumbled across the ultimate depiction of a grumpy, old married couple.

"It's quite a big house," Brenda stated. In the back of her mind she was trying to remember as much of the lay out as she could. Too many nooks and crannies for things to be hiding in. She didn't like it.

"It is and with just the two of us here… I'm thinking maybe we will sell and move into the city. This isn't a great place to be when the summer storms really hit," Mildred said. Another crash of thunder followed and Brenda had no difficulty understanding why the old woman had said that.

"It's getting late," Sharon said slowly, her elbow softly nudging Brenda. "If you don't mind, it's been a long day for us and while I don't want to seem unappreciative of your hospitality…." Brenda suppressed a snort. It was such a Sharon thing to say. "…I think Brenda and I should call it a night."

"Of course, girls," Mildred said. "If there's anything you need, just call me. The kitchen's just down the hall should you feel hungry later."

Sharon flashed a smile. "Thank you." She tucked a strand of loose wet hair behind her ear. "Good night."

She and Brenda made their way up the stairs and when they reached the top, the first thing Brenda did was try two of the other doors. Both were locked. She turned to look at Sharon. "This place gives me the creeps. I keep expectin' dead bodies to fall from the ceiling or somethin'. And that man…."

Sharon didn't answer but instead opened the door to the room where they had gotten changed earlier. She flicked on the light and turned to look at Brenda.

"We didn't think about this earlier, did we?" she asked.

"Think about what?" Brenda wanted to know as she too filed into the room. The first thing she noticed was the pile of soggy wet clothes on the floor but then her gaze followed Sharon's and it dawned on her.

"Oh."

"Yes, Chief. Oh."

Brenda glanced at Sharon. "Well, we could… uhm… I don't know…I could go and sleep…."

"We could just sleep in it together." Sharon stated matter of fact.

Brenda looked at her, shocked. "I ain't sleepin' with you!"

"I'll try not to be offended by that, shall I?" Sharon rolled her eyes. "Come on, Chief! It's just a bed and it's one night. It's freezing! Where else were you planning on sleeping?"

"Anywhere but here!" Brenda shrieked and started for the door. Yanking it open, she brought in another cold gust of air that left them both shivering. "It's a big house. There's gotta be other rooms!"

"The doors were locked," Sharon reminded her. She was a little irritated that Brenda seemed to make such a big deal of this whole sharing a bed thing.

"I'll figure it out," Brenda replied and with that she left the bedroom and closed the door behind her. The bang echoed around the house and she paused on the landing, listening for any sounds. She heard nothing, not even the distant voices of Edward and Mildred.

Her heart pounded in her chest as she approached the top of the stairs. There was a light burning in the hall but other than that the house was shrouded in darkness. The shadows were haunting and a floorboard creaked when Brenda put her foot on it. It made her jump and she staggered backwards until she hit the wall. Suppressing a shriek, she bolted down the stairs towards the light and once there, took a moment to gather herself. She was panting and after a quick look around she remembered the way to the living room.

The door was slightly ajar and she opened it further. There were some dying embers in the fireplace but the living room was deserted. Shivering, Brenda crossed the room and went to sit on the couch. There was no way she was going to sleep in the same bed as Captain Sharon Raydor. Hell would have to freeze over first.

Brenda curled up on her side after finding a blanket by the fireplace and pulled it over herself. She propped her head up against her arm and took a deep breath. The air was thick with the smell of smoke and rotting wood and with every breath she took, the smell got deeper into her lungs. Slowly she closed her eyes, satisfied she had found a place away from Sharon.

The sound of a door slamming made her sit bolt upright.

Floorboards creaked. The unmistakable sound of footsteps sounded above her head; like someone was walking around wearing heavy boots. A scraping sound, like furniture being moved.

And then…

The crying. The sound of a small child crying.

Brenda threw the blanket off and sprinted to the door. She expected to see someone in the hallway but it was empty. She turned to the stairs. No one. A cold shiver crept down her spine as she began climbing the stairs back up to the first floor and when she reached the top she found all doors still closed. Without hesitation she walked across the landing, opened the door to the room where Sharon was and stepped inside.

Sharon was in bed, curled up on her side, but sat up when Brenda came in. She smirked a little. "Back so soon?"

"Shut up," Brenda barked and walked over to the dresser against the wall. "Make yourself useful and help me with this."

Sharon slipped out from under the bedsheets and crossed the room. "What on Earth are you doing?"

"Makin' sure no one gets in here tonight," Brenda answered as she continued to push the dresser across the room until it was partially barricading the door.

Sharon wanted to laugh at the blonde Chief but secretly, she was glad Brenda was back. She would never admit it but sleeping on her own in this house…. It hadn't been something she actually wanted.

"Come on" Sharon said and headed back to bed.

Brenda followed but then frowned.

"What? "Brenda's hesitation did not go unnoticed by the Captain.

"You're on my side."

"This isn't your bed. You don't have a side!" Sharon objected but Brenda shook her head.

"I do have a side and if we're going to do this, I want to at least be comfortable." Brenda crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Sharon groaned but moved to the other side of the bed anyway, allowing Brenda to climb in too. The mattress dipped slightly when the blonde slipped under the covers and Sharon involuntarily stiffened when she felt Brenda's cold foot against her leg. She sucked in a breath and didn't dare move. Brenda fidgeted a little but then stopped. Finally, they were both lying still.

"You had better not snore," Brenda mumbled. "Because I swear, I will kill you."

"Not if I kill you first," Sharon retorted. "Your feet are freezing!"

"I'm cold," Brenda objected. "I can't help it!"

Sharon closed her eyes. She couldn't believe she was about to suggest this. She waited a few more seconds before saying, "Roll over."

"What?"

"I said, roll over."

"I heard you the first time. Why?"

"You're not the only one who's cold, Brenda Leigh, and frankly, I don't give a damn about this whole situation anymore. I'm tired and I would really like to get warm. So please just roll over so I can…"

"Wait, what?" All of a sudden Brenda's brain had caught up and she was instantly horrified. "You want to spoon me?" she shrieked.

Sharon just looked at her with those piercing green eyes.

Before Brenda knew what was happening, she had rolled onto her side and could feel Sharon move towards her, felt the brunette's leg brush against her own, and her breath hitched when she felt Sharon's body wrap itself around hers. It was almost effortless and Brenda found herself relax into the brunette's body, didn't even flinch when Sharon's arm snuck around her waist and pulled her closer.

Sharon breathed in the scent of Brenda's hair; shampoo mixed with rain. Her hair was soft against her face and she carefully brushed some of it aside, her fingers ghosting accidentally over the base of Brenda's neck. She could feel the shiver travel through the younger woman's body and Sharon was momentarily mesmerized. Could a single feather light touch really do that to a person?

"You have a tattoo," Brenda said softly.

Sharon nodded into the darkness. "I do."

"Why?"

"Because I wanted one."

Brenda shivered, despite now feeling warmer with Sharon's body wrapped around her. Suddenly she became very aware of her heart pounding in her chest. "Does it mean anything?"

Sharon sighed. It felt strange being this close to Brenda. Strange but also comforting and safe. "I got it to remember an old friend," she whispered, her voice almost getting lost in Brenda's blonde curls. "That way I get to keep her with me forever."

Brenda's body tensed when she felt Sharon's hand move across her stomach, felt her fingers relax a little more against the fabric of the hideous nightgown she wore. "What happened to her?"

"She died," Sharon confessed. "A long time ago. Her name was Lily. We were friends since kindergarten. And then one day… One day she was just gone."

Brenda noticed the change in Sharon's voice, could hear the sadness. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…"

Sharon didn't say anything but in the silence that followed, Brenda could feel the change in her breathing. She knew Sharon was crying. She moved her hand to cover Sharon's, the one across her stomach, and unconsciously began to rub comforting circles on the back of her hand. She didn't ask any further questions. Brenda didn't know much about the Captain but she was pretty sure Sharon wasn't the kind of person who easily shared her emotions and she wasn't about to make Sharon even more uncomfortable than she already was.

"She was walking home one night after work. It was late, after midnight. Lily had this job in a bar, just to get herself through school. Sharon drew a shaky breath and seemed to falter with her story.

Brenda held her breath wondering if she was going to continue.

"She was a block from her apartment when this guy came up to her and tried to take her purse. He pushed her and she hit her head on the sidewalk. She never regained consciousness."

"Did they get him?" Brenda asked. She couldn't help it. They were both police officers. It was instinct to ask that question.

"Yes. And the case went to court. But the coroner couldn't determine with certainty that the cause of death was the fact she hit her head so… he walked. And he walked with a smile." There was a bitterness to Sharon's voice Brenda had never heard before. "That was the day I decided to go to law school. So that the next guy who did something like that wouldn't walk out smiling the way he did. And when law school didn't happen, I took the next best thing."

"Well, I'm glad you did," Brenda whispered.

"So am I," Sharon answered. Her mouth was close to Brenda's ear now. "So am I."

Brenda's eyes began to feel heavy now that the warmth of Sharon's body surrounded her. Outside the rain continued to lash against the window and the sound was strangely soothing. The thunder rumbled in the sky over their heads but by the time the next flash of lightning cut through the darkness, they were both asleep. Brenda's hand still covered Sharon's and without realising it, their fingers had laced together.

~()~

Brenda woke to the feeling of warm sunlight on her face and blinked in surprise, taking in her strange and unfamiliar surroundings. Rays of sunlight came streaming in through a gap in the curtains and it took a few seconds for her to become aware of the warm body wrapped around her. Brenda turned a little and found Sharon still asleep, her arm draped over Brenda's waist. She was momentarily struck by how beautiful and peaceful Sharon looked as she slept but then she reached out and touched Sharon's shoulder. Green eyes snapped open immediately and Sharon sat up, groaning softly as her sore body reminded her of the car crash the day before.

"What's happened?" she questioned.

"It would appear we survived the night," Brenda commented. Her eye fell on the one thing that had changed in the room and she reached for Sharon's arm.

"What?" the brunette asked but followed Brenda's gaze anyway.

There, on the end of the bed, lay their clothes. Dried and neatly folded, in two separate piles.

"What the hell…" Sharon whispered and slipped out from under the covers. She picked up her pants and turned to the door. The dresser Brenda had pushed in front of it the previous night was still there. She shivered and looked back at Brenda to find the blonde already half dressed.

"Let's get out of here," Brenda commented. "This place is beyond creepy."

Sharon wasn't about to argue with that and quickly put on her pants before peeling the ugly nightgown over her head and replacing it with her own clothes. She released the braid from her hair and pushed her hair back behind her ears before joining Brenda to move the dresser out of the way. It scraped across the wooden floor but moments later the door was free and Brenda yanked it open.

They made their way down the stairs. The front door was still locked and Sharon turned the key before opening it. She stepped out onto the porch and couldn't suppress a small outcry of joy when she saw the car driving towards them.

"It's the Sheriff!" she exclaimed, turning around to look at Brenda.

The car came to a stop and the Sheriff, a man in his early fifties with thick grey hair and steel blue eyes, got out. He tipped his hat when he saw the two women.

"Captain Raydor?"

"Yes," Sharon answered. "And Deputy Chief Johnson." She narrowed her eyes. "How did you know we were here?"

"One of my deputies found your car abandoned by the side of the road. Looked like you'd taken a bit of a beating. When we tracked the registration we realised it belonged to an LAPD Detective so we decided to start a search. At first light we saw smoke come from the chimney so I decided to come check it out."

"Well I'm sure glad you did," Brenda answered. She turned to look at Sharon. "We should find Mildred and Edward and say thank you before we leave."

The Sheriff laughed and Brenda looked at him in surprise. "What?" she questioned.

"This house has been abandoned for years. Nobody has lived here for at least the last two decades." the Sheriff answered with a slight hint of amusement.

Sharon and Brenda stared at each other in complete shock? Was this man serious?

"Well of course they haven't, I just meant… Well, never mind what I meant," Brenda stuttered. "I trust you have come to give us a lift back to civilisation. I don't know about Captain Raydor here but I sure could use a hot cup of coffee."

With that Brenda stepped down off the porch beckoning an open mouthed Captain Raydor to follow her. Brenda had no idea what was going on here but she sure as hell was not ready to stick around and find out.


	4. Under The Cover Of Darkness

**Summary:** After being summoned to Pope's office, Brenda thinks her day couldn't possibly get any worse. But then it does and it's all Captain Raydor's fault. The one in which Brenda gets a dose of feelings and doesn't know what to do with them.

 **Pairing:** Sharon Raydor/Brenda Leigh Johnson (non romantic)

 **Universe:** Set during The Closer

 **Note:** Please note that this story mentions both panic attacks and claustrophobia. If these things trigger you, it may be better for you to skip this chapter. Stay Safe!

* * *

 **IV. Under The Cover Of Darkness**

Brenda was seething. The meeting she had been called into that morning, or more like summoned into, had turned out to be nothing like she had expected or hoped. The second she stepped into Pope's office and saw Captain Sharon Raydor leaning against the window sill, she got a bad feeling and that feeling was only confirmed when Pope reminded her in no uncertain terms that she was supposed to be working together with the FID Captain.

"And I don't have to remind you what the term 'together' means, do I?" he asked Brenda, fixing her with a piercing stare. "Because I will get you to look it up in a dictionary if you need any help."

"No, sir," Brenda had muttered, her cheeks burning under not only Pope's stare but also Raydor's gaze.

"So just to make this clear, Chief Johnson," Pope continued, clearly intending to make her as uncomfortable as he possibly could. "You will, from this moment forth, share all your information with Captain Raydor and you will ask, no you will _tell_ , your Division to stop railroading FID's investigation." There was a pause and Brenda knew he wasn't finished. "And stop moving witnesses around and have Force Investigation Division's detectives turn up to empty interview rooms. It's childish."

Brenda was convinced Raydor was gloating but when she dared to shoot a sideways glance at the other woman in the room, Brenda found Raydor studying her nails. The Captain looked, by lack of a better word, bored. It only added to her agitation. _Oh! That woman!_

"Captain Raydor will accompany you back to your Murder Room and collect the files on your suspect," Pope added and Brenda reluctantly nodded.

"If she must."

"Oh, I must," Raydor answered.

The bitch speaks, Brenda thought, and focused her eyes on Sharon, plastering a smile on her face. "Well then, Capt'n," she almost spat out the words. "If you'd like to come with me…"

"I know the way," Sharon countered. "No need to lead."

"I insist," Brenda said, adding a little jerk with her head. "Please."

They left Pope's office together and with every step in the direction of the elevator, Brenda felt angrier than she ever had before. She was fed up with Raydor constantly interfering with her cases. The woman was infuriating, arrogant and stuck up and Brenda would happily sell her soul and every organ in her body if it meant never having to see the brunette again.

The two women approached the elevator together and Brenda pressed the button before Raydor could. It was petty but it gave her some small measure of satisfaction. She tapped her foot impatiently and a quick glance at Raydor confirmed her suspicion that the Captain hated it. With a soft ping the doors swung open and Brenda stepped into the elevator. Sharon was right behind her. It was empty besides the two of them and Brenda groaned. She'd hoped they wouldn't be alone.

The doors slid closed and the elevator began moving down. Seconds ticked by and Brenda became increasingly aware of the fact she was stuck in a small space with the FID Captain. She was tempted to just pull her gun on the other woman. No one infuriated her more than Sharon fucking Raydor.

"That was… enlightening," Sharon observed and Brenda almost choked on her own breath.

"Excuse me?" she questioned, anger pulsing through her veins. "Enlightening?"

Sharon glanced at Brenda. She could see the anger flash through the Chief's brown eyes, recognised the smirk of disdain that briefly appeared on her face. It had been like this since their first meeting in a hospital waiting room a couple of months earlier.

Sharon had known full well that Brenda had had no intention of sharing her case, let alone the two of them working together. But now she didn't have a choice and Sharon would be lying if she didn't think the Chief deserved ever bit of Chief Pope's disapproval.

"I'm sure we will work out a way of staying out of each other's way," Sharon said slowly.

Brenda was about to say something that would have been way too personally aggressive when a sharp ringing noise cut through the silence. With a sickening jolt and a metallic creak, the elevator came to a stop, sending Brenda flying into the wall.

"What the…" Sharon snapped and slammed her hand against the control panel of the elevator. All the lights had gone off.

The ear piercing ringing of the fire alarm continued and Brenda slowly staggered back to her feet. Her mind was spinning as she tried to work out what had happened and then she spotted the sticker on the elevator wall. Do Not Use In Case Of Emergency. She also remembered hearing someone say that the elevators were designed to instantly stop working in case of a fire.

"The fire alarm," Brenda explained and looked at Sharon. The brunette was still pressing buttons at random. "It won't work, Capt'n. The elevators automatically shut down in case of a fire." Sharon looked up. "Or during a random fire drill."

"You're saying we're stuck in here until they switch that thing off?" she asked, sounding a little panicked.

"I'm saying we're stuck in here until they know for sure there isn't an actual fire," Brenda explained and a feeling of dread settled in her stomach. "After they have gone over every floor of this building."

"There are ten floors!" Sharon exclaimed.

Brenda slid down to the ground, back against the wall. Outwardly she appeared calmer than she felt. There was no way she was going to show Raydor that being trapped in an elevator creeped her out. "Guess we'd better get comfortable."

Sharon looked at Brenda, exasperated. "You're serious?"

"Deadly."

Sharon took a deep breath and then slowly slid down to the ground herself. She crossed her legs so that she was sitting in the lotus position and she was suddenly a little grateful for the darkness that surrounded them. The greenish light that came from the little emergency light above the control panel cast an eerie glow around the small space that created the illusion they were trapped in some science fiction movie.

Several floors down, the members of Brenda's Division were filing out of the Murder Room. Provenza, still eating the donut he'd picked up just as the fire alarm went off, was at the back together with Flynn. Gabriel, Tao and Sanchez were a few steps ahead of them and they were joined by detectives and officers from other departments as they all made their way towards the staircase. It was organised chaos but people were used to it; the alarms were tested at random once a month and fire drills were not uncommon.

"Hey, where's the Chief?" Sanchez asked as he held the door for the rest of his team.

"In a meeting with the Pope," Provenza growled. "We'll see her downstairs, I'm sure."

Sanchez didn't argue and they started their descent down the several flights of stairs in a neat and orderly fashion. People were talking amongst themselves and Flynn suggested someone had probably been smoking a crafty cigarette in one of the toilets which had led to the alarm going off.

They reached the designated meeting point outside the building, in the middle of the large open space, and Provenza pointed at Pope. "Told you he'd be here before anyone else."

"Lieutenant Provenza," Pope said when he noticed the Major Crimes Division walk towards him. He scanned their faces and quickly realised who was absent. He looked back in the direction of the building. People were still streaming out of the emergency exits. "Where's Chief Johnson?"

"We thought she was with you, sir," Sanchez answered. "Didn't you have a meeting this morning?"

Pope nodded. "I sent her and Raydor back to Major Crimes fifteen minutes ago."

"Did you say 'Raydor'?" Provenza's face fell and behind him, Sanchez and Gabriel shared a concerned look.

"Yes. They were on their way back to Major Crimes to…"

"Did they take the elevator?" Flynn interrupted him and Pope looked up.

"I doubt they took the stairs, Lieutenant."

"Oh, this is bad," Flynn sighed. "This is really, really bad."

"Why?" Pope asked. "The elevator will just reach the lobby and…."

Tao shook his head. "No, sir. These elevators were designed to immediately come to a full stop in case of an emergency. The second the fire alarm went off, all elevators across the building stopped working." He scrutinised Pope's face. "There could be people stuck all across the building." He cocked his head. "You did inform the Fire Department of that, didn't you, sir?"

"Of course," Pope said but when he turned around they all saw him quickly pull out his cell phone and frantically make a call.

"They're not really stuck in there together, are they?" Sanchez asked, looking at Provenza.

The lieutenant pulled a face. "One can only hope not."

Pope returned. "The Fire Department will do a floor by floor sweep of the elevators."

"Tell them to focus on the Chief and Captain Raydor first," Provenza said, sounding deadly serious.

"Why?"

"Because there are two people in this world who should never be left in a small space unsupervised," Flynn replied, his eyes darkening a little. Behind him Sanchez snickered a little at the thought. "The Chief and Raydor are those two people."

Pope looked incredulously at the members of the Major Crimes Division. "What could possibly happen?"

"Well," Provenza deadpanned. "Either FID or Major Crimes will probably end up with another murder case."

The endless ringing of the fire alarm was beginning to get on Brenda's nerves. She'd checked her watch, as much as she could see of it in the weak light, and realised it had only been fifteen minutes since the start of their ordeal but already she was feeling hot and uncomfortable she'd shrugged herself out of her sweater. Across the small space, Sharon had unbuttoned her blazer but had resisted taking it off.

"Surely they know we're in here," Sharon rationalised. "They do have cameras in these things, don't they?"

Brenda nodded. "And I'm sure they'll be checking them, Captain." She sounded irritated and pointed at the little red flashing light in the far right corner. "It's still running."

"You could always try the emergency phone," Sharon suggested and pointed at the red device on the wall behind Brenda. The blonde's head whipped up and she grabbed the receiver.

When she brought it to her ear she was greeted by a dial tone and she pressed the red button with the word 'emergency' on it. The line momentarily went dead before it began to ring. Once…twice… After ten rings without an answer, Brenda hung the phone back up in frustration.

"No one's pickin' up." She rested with her back against the wall and raised her eyes up to the elevator's ceiling. "I'm sure they'll be checkin' the elevators soon enough. I doubt we are the only unfortunate souls who ended up stuck."

"But I'm the only one who ended up stuck with you," Sharon muttered softly. She was pretty sure Brenda hadn't heard her and she was kind of grateful for that.

Sharon Raydor was by far not Brenda Leigh Johnson's biggest fan. Sure, she admired the fact that she was the highest ranking woman in the LAPD but she didn't necessarily admire the way she handled her cases, or her interactions with other divisions. Sharon couldn't explain what exactly about the blonde Southern woman irked her so much.

"Are you goin' to keep starin' at me or are you actually goin' to say somethin'?" Brenda snapped unexpectedly, catching Sharon by surprise. Brown eyes were ablaze with anger now. "Can you please find somethin' else to look at, Capt'n?"

"You're the only other person in here and, contrary to popular believe, not everyone enjoys bein' in the same small space as you, Chief," Sharon fired back but averted her eyes anyway. She honestly couldn't stand Brenda Leigh Johnson. How was she going to survive being trapped in here? The woman was her worst nightmare.

The accent alone was irritating, borderline trashy even, not to mention the hideous fashion sense, but there was something else… something about Brenda that got under Sharon's skin and whatever that something was, was what Sharon hated the most. Because she couldn't stand it when people got under her skin and she rarely allowed it to happen. But goddamnit, Brenda Leigh Johnson managed it without even trying.

Brenda could feel Sharon's eyes on her again but didn't look in the Captain's direction. If the Captain wanted to stare at her then Brenda wasn't going to tell her otherwise anymore. Instead she silently cursed herself for having left her cell phone on her desk that morning before going to the meeting with Pope. She'd expected to be back in her office no more than half an hour later. Suddenly Brenda's head whipped up, fuelled by a glimmer of hope.

"Do you have your purse?" she asked, fixing her eyes on Sharon.

"What? Are you about to ask me to give you my lipstick?" Sharon retorted, a little sharper than she'd intended. Her hands had gotten a little clammy and she tried to wipe them along her blazer without Brenda noticing. "You don't strike me as the type who cares that much about her appearance, Chief."

Brenda gasped. "What? I do care about my appearance, thank you very much. Just because I don't turn up for work in shoes that cost more than a month's rent don't mean I don't care…"

"If you say so," Sharon replied. "But to answer your question; No, I don't have my purse. It's in my locker." She shot a glance at Brenda's purse, drawing the obvious conclusion. The Chief didn't have her phone either. "And before you ask, I don't have my cell phone either. It's on my desk."

"Well, shit."

"How eloquently put, Chief Johnson," Sharon remarked.

Brenda threw her head back in frustration. "It's so hard to imagine you're not more popular," she spat in Sharon's direction. "Such a ray of sunshine."

Sharon didn't answer but slowly began taking off her blazer. Peeling it away from her skin only relieved some of the discomfort she felt. She was warm, uncomfortably so, and after she folded the blazer on the floor next to her, she pulled the silk fabric of her blouse away from her chest and fanned herself a little. She recognised the unmistakable pounding in her chest as her heartrate quickened.

"Are you okay?" Brenda wanted to know. Even from where she sat and with the light as poor as it was she could see Sharon was slightly flushed.

"Fine." Sharon wiped her hand over her forehead. She was sweating a little. "It's just hot in here."

Brenda couldn't deny that. It seemed that with every passing minute, the temperature went up by half a degree. She shifted uncomfortably in her spot on the floor, wiped her clammy hands along her skirt. Somewhere in the distance she heard a faint metallic rumbling sound and she hoped, hell, she prayed, it meant rescue was on its way.

Brenda jumped half a foot in the air when a sharp ringing sound cut through the silence in the elevator. Bewildered she looked up at Sharon and saw the brunette pointing at the emergency phone on Brenda's side. She scrambled to her feet in a rather unflattering fashion, and grabbed the receiver.

"Hello?" she asked, relieved that finally someone had figured out they were here.

"Ma'am, this is Commander Williams from the LAFD. Can you confirm how many people are trapped in the elevator?"

"Two," Brenda answered. "Myself and Captain Raydor."

It sounded like Commander Williams said something like, "I've found her" but Brenda wasn't sure and she couldn't hear what the person in the background was saying. Then the Commander's voice became clearer once he spoke directly to her. "We have received reports from various locations that people are trapped and we are in the process of freeing everyone but it may be some time before we get to you."

"What?!" Brenda sounded horrified and she looked over her shoulder at Sharon. How long exactly were they going to leave her here with that woman?!

"Your elevator appears to be stuck in between two floors so we can't get to you until the power is restored and the elevator moves," Commander Williams explained.

Brenda swallowed. She hadn't thought it possible for this day to get any worse but clearly she had been wrong. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "How long are we talkin' about, Commander?" she asked sweetly.

"Three or four hours at best."

"Three or four hours?!" Brenda shrieked. She was certain she'd kill Raydor well before that, if Raydor didn't kill her first.

Behind her, Sharon had stood up too. "What's going on?" she wanted to know.

"LAFD reckons it'll be three to four hours before they get to us," Brenda answered.

Sharon just nodded. "Oh. Ok."

"Ok?" Brenda repeated. "Have you lost your mind?! It's not OK!" She focused her attention back to the Commander. "I understand the situation is complicated, Commander, but I would really appreciate it if you and your men could maybe, I don't know, come up with a plan to get us out of here within the next hour or so."

"It's going to take us over an hour just to clear the building and make sure the fire alarm was just a drill," Williams answered. "I can't send my men or anyone else in to work on elevators if I am not completely sure the building is safe."

"But it's alright for us to be left in here? Where exactly are we supposed to go if there really is a fire?" Brenda snapped. "Cut the crap, Commander. You and I both know the alarm was a drill. So why don't you just get your men up here and…"

"I have to follow the rules, Chief Johnson."

Brenda glanced at Sharon. "Yeah. Someone else in here knows all about that."

The Captain's eyes fixed on Brenda. "What exactly are you talking about?" she wanted to know. The tone of her voice hinted at frustration and she had crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"The Commander was just explainin' how he has to follow the rules," Brenda said. "I merely meant that you of all people should understand that."

"Me of all people?" Sharon arched an eyebrow. "And what exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Brenda, still holding the receiver, stared back at Sharon. "All I'm sayin' Captain is that you like to follow the rules. Not even you can deny that." She narrowed her eyes. "I mean seriously, you have read the book from cover to cover, have you not?"

"Chief Johnson?" Commander Williams' voice drew Brenda's attention back to the phone. "Are you still there?"

"I'm stuck in a small metal box that feels like a goddamn prison cell. Where else would I have gone?"

"I'm gonna have to let you go now but I'll be calling you back later." There was a pause. "I'd say 'don't go anywhere' but… you know… considering the circumstances…"

"Very funny, Commander," Brenda sneered. She hung the receiver back before he had a chance to say anything else and slowly turned back around to face Sharon.

The brunette was still watching her, arms crossed, but now that Brenda studied her a little more closely, she noticed the little beads of sweat on Sharon's forehead. Sure, it was warm in the elevator and Brenda felt a little sweaty herself, but Sharon seemed uncomfortably hot.

"Hot flushes?" Brenda asked. She had experienced them herself but she wasn't about to share that with the bitch from FID. "I've been told they're terrible."

"No!" Sharon replied defensively. She knew exactly what this was and menopause wasn't it though right in this moment she would've happily cut off her right hand to know that it was just a hot flush. "It's just hot in here."

"Yeah, you said that already," Brenda reminded her.

"Well, then stop asking," Sharon suggested. "Do us both a favour."

Brenda wanted to answer but bit back her reply. Instead she slid back down to the floor and stretched out her legs. If she was going to be stuck here for several hours, she might as well get comfortable. She pulled her purse towards her and began rummaging through it. From 'her' side of the elevator Sharon watched in a mixture of shock and surprise as Brenda began putting random items she kept in her bag on the floor before eventually finding what she was looking for.

The water bottle was half empty as she had bought it the day before but it was still better than nothing. Brenda unscrewed the lid, took a sip and tried not to shudder at the taste of the lukewarm water. She then passed the bottle over to Sharon and the Captain eyed it up as if to determine it wasn't laced with poison.

"You don't have to drink it," Brenda drawled. "I'll happily keep it to myself if it's not good enough."

Sharon ignored the jibe, reached for the bottle Brenda was offering her and took two small sips before handing it back. The water helped ease some of the dryness in the back of her throat but did nothing to erase the other symptoms that were slowly creeping up on her. Her heart was still pounding, she was sweating and the more she looked around, the more it felt like the walls were closing in. Sharon tried focusing on one particular spot to at least battle the nausea that was starting to bubble up in her stomach but she didn't want Brenda to see her staring, so she kept moving the object of her focus slightly, which did nothing to help her.

Brenda began picking up the items she'd left on the floor and threw them back in her purse. Sharon saw a bottle of bright pink nail polish, the shade alone should be a crime, let alone the actual act of wearing said colour, several chocolate wrappers, a broken pen, a bottle of hand sanitizer and a packet of tissues. Most of it was what you'd expect to find in a woman's handbag but somehow it struck Sharon as odd. Brenda Leigh Johnson wasn't like most other women.

Brenda pushed her purse aside and folded her hands behind her head as she leaned back. "So," she began. "Does this mean that we'll be workin' together more from now on?"

Sharon blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"Well, Chief Pope pretty much gave you my case. Does that mean you'll be around more often?"

"Not if I can help it," Sharon replied and sighed. "Chief, you do realise I am not out to get you, don't you?"

"Could've fooled me."

"Some days it amazes me you've been in this job as long as you have." Sharon shook her head. "Then again…."

Brenda's head whipped up, brown eyes darkening. "Then again what?"

"Not everyone in this building sleeps with the boss." The words just came out and just like that, there was nothing Sharon could do about it. She certainly couldn't take them back.

"It's nice to know what you really think of me," Brenda growled and shook her head. "Thank you so much."

Sharon let her head fall back against the wall, silently resenting herself for having lowered herself to Brenda's level. It was unlike her to get personal like this and she knew it was because she was slowly losing herself to the anxiety welling up inside her.

Silence fell between them as the minutes began to tick away. In the distance they occasionally heard a metallic banging sound but after a few such noises without any sign of rescue, Brenda's heart stopped fluttering whenever she heard it. Instead she just leaned back against the wall, eyes closed, almost willing herself to fall asleep.

Her eyes opened when she heard Sharon stand up. "What're you doin'?" she groaned without really looking at the other woman. "They're not comin' yet."

"I know that," Sharon struggled to get the words out and for the first time since the start of their forced time together, Brenda noticed a hint of uncertainty in Sharon's face. It was enough to spike her interest, or perhaps curiosity, and she looked at the older woman.

Sharon was pacing slowly, arms by her side, fingers clenching and relaxing every few seconds. There was tension in her neck and shoulders. Brenda could see it from where she was sitting. Sharon's steps were small and almost uncontrolled, like she wasn't fully aware of the fact she was pacing.

But Sharon was aware and there was nothing she could do about it. The anxiety coursed through her veins like an unstoppable freight train, leaving her head spinning and her ears rushing with the sound of her own blood and heartbeat. The thumping of her heart was so loud and so fast, it felt like it would break free from inside her chest at any moment. The dim lighting didn't help, only enhancing the darkness she already felt.

The penny dropped for Brenda and her jaw dropped. "Capt'n, are you claustrophobic?"

"No," Sharon countered as she pressed a hand against the elevator wall. The metal felt warm against her hand. The sensation was odd. "I just… I don't like small spaces, that's all. I'm fine."

"Okay, whatever," Brenda answered. . She continued to watch Sharon as she paced from side to side. The Captain didn't seem all that fine to her but if she said she was then Brenda chose to believe her. Besides, what were the odds that the Ice Queen from FID actually did have a fear of small spaces? Brenda couldn't imagine Sharon being afraid of anything. That would after all, require her to have a heart…

"I would just really like to get out of here," Sharon's voice was thick with what sounded to Brenda like frustration.

"I'm not exactly jumpin' for joy over here either," Brenda commented. She ran her hands through her hair and could feel her shirt clinging to her damp skin. The first thing she was going to do when she got out of here was take a shower.

From the corner of her eye she watched how Sharon fumbled with her watch, then picked at a button on her shirt and eventually placed her hands against the elevator wall, exhaling slowly.

 _Oh for heaven's sake,_ Brenda thought. Being trapped couldn't be that bad, right? All things considered, she was glad she wasn't stuck here with Pope! She continued to watch Sharon, watched the way she seemed to attempt to almost dig her nails into the metal.

Brenda recognised the signs but chose to ignore them. Sharon had said she was fine and she had no reason to doubt her. Besides, what was she going to do anyway? She couldn't remember the last time she'd attended a first aid course and she certainly didn't feel like offering assistance to Sharon Raydor unless of course she was dying. Brenda wasn't completely heartless.

"What the hell is taking them so long?" Sharon's voice was breathy.

Brenda pulled her purse back towards her and began digging around in it. From her spot near the wall Sharon watched as Brenda pulled out some sweets, the same tissues she had seen earlier, and her wallet. The next thing she yanked out was a paper bag and Brenda triumphantly held it up.

"What on Earth is that for?" Sharon suspiciously eyed up the paper bag.

Brenda looked down at the sugar coated paper bag in her hand. It had held six donuts the previous day. "Well, it's for you, Captain."

"Me?" the Captain shrieked. "What makes you think I need that?"

"Well, you are about to have a panic attack, are you not?" Brenda looked up at Sharon, saw the way those green eyes darted nervously behind her glasses. "Isn't that what people do in a situation like that? Breathe into a bag?"

"I am _not_ having a panic attack," Sharon objected and after clenching her fists, she slid back down to the floor. She felt nauseous. "I'm fine."

"Oh, have it your way!" Brenda exclaimed and dropped the paper bag back in her purse. She shook her head. "Has anyone ever told you that you're incredibly stubborn?"

"Has anyone ever told you?" Sharon retorted.

Brenda took a deep breath and leaned back, again folding her hands behind her head. If Sharon didn't want her help then fine. Brenda wasn't going to give it to her. Maybe this whole crazy thing would just go away if she pretended hard enough that this wasn't really happening.

From behind closed eyes Brenda tried to start a conversation. "Tell me about your children."

"Why do you care about my children?" Sharon wanted to know.

"If we are going to be stuck here for three or four hours, we might as well find somethin' to talk about," Brenda answered dryly. "Your kids seemed as good a subject as any. Unless you'd rather talk work, of course."

Sharon shook her head. "It's fine."

Brenda plucked at a bit of fluff on her skirt. She wasn't good at small talk, and certainly not with someone she did not consider a suspect, and there was something almost daunting about having a conversation with Sharon Raydor but if they were going to be stuck together, the least she could do was learn a thing or two about her new partner-in-crime.

"Tell me about them," Brenda encouraged Sharon. "Please."

"Their names are Ricky and Emily," Sharon answered. "Emily is the eldest. She's a ballet dancer and she lives in New York. I don't see her all that often. Only when she flies into Los Angeles, really. Which is usually only twice a year."

"You'd think that'd be plenty," Brenda mumbled. She couldn't imagine anyone voluntarily spending time with Sharon Raydor. It was probably the reason her kids lived so far away. But she focused on Sharon again and asked, "And your son?"

"Ricky works in San Francisco. He comes up to LA every couple of months or so. He works with computers. Don't ask me what. It's too complicated." Sharon struggled to take a deep breath. She felt nauseous and the heat wasn't helping. She let her head fall back. The back of her throat was dry and she could feel her heart in her throat.

Brenda watched Sharon a little more closely. She seemed to be sweating more. Strands of dark hair were sticking to her forehead and her cheeks were a little more flushed whilst at the same time Sharon's face appeared to drain of its colour. Brenda pushed herself up, alarmed by the physical signs, and kept her eyes on Sharon as she slowly moved over to the other side of the elevator.

The sound of something hitting the elevator floor startled Brenda. The next thing she knew Sharon had spun around, green eyes wide, and Brenda noticed the brunette was no longer wearing her glasses. Panic was etched across Sharon's face and she frantically looked around.

"My glasses," she shrieked. "I've lost my glasses."

The darkness in the elevator made it almost impossible to see, even more so without glasses, and Sharon dropped down to her knees and began feeling around on the floor. Her heart pounded in her ears and it felt as if the world was spinning rapidly.

"Don't you have a spare pair?" Brenda commented, remembering Sharon was often swapping between her glasses. She suppressed a soft snort at the sight of Sharon scurrying around on her knees looking for her glasses. She would make sure to tell the rest of her Division about this later. It was too funny not to.

"I don't have my spare. My purse is on my desk!" Sharon cried.

It startled Brenda.

It wasn't just an outcry of frustration but an actual cry. With tears. She could hear them in Sharon's voice even if she couldn't see the older woman's face. A shiver travelled down Brenda's spine and she took a step back, shocked. She couldn't believe she was actually facing Sharon Raydor, on her knees and crying.

"Capt'n?" Brenda inquired, her voice softer than it had been so far. She reached out but didn't touch the brunette. She didn't want to startle her even more. "Capt'n, are you alright?"

It was a stupid question because it was clear to see Sharon was far from alright.

Sharon felt everything at once. Fear. Sheer absolute terror. The thundering beating of her heart in her chest made her feel sick. She could hear it in her ears, could feel the blood rushing through her veins. The walls were closing in on her and she began clenching and relaxing her hands, her nails digging into the palm of her hands. The pain wasn't sharp enough to ground her, to fight off the anxiety that washed over her. She felt sick. So sick she feared she would throw up.

She couldn't let that happen. She couldn't throw up in front of Brenda. But the walls just kept coming closer and soon there would be no air left. The tension in her chest as her lungs desperately tried to suck in air, left her panting. She tasted the tears on her lips but her brain didn't register she was crying. Her eyes were burning and her vision blurred, not only because she didn't have her glasses but because of the tears too. Sharon desperately searched for something to hold onto, something her fingers could actually touch. She felt dizzy and uncoordinated.

They needed to get out of here. Soon there would be no air left and they would both die a horrible death. They had to get out… They couldn't stay here... Not a moment longer.

The emergency phone rang again and Brenda staggered to her feet and answered it. "Commander Williams?"

"Chief Johnson, how are the two of you holding up in there?"

Brenda shot a look at Sharon. She looked like shit. "Never better." She swallowed. "Please tell me you have good news."

"Well, I have bad news and some not-so-bad news," Williams answered. "Which one would you like first?"

"Somehow I doubt it'll make a difference," Brenda groaned. She rested her head against her arm, suddenly feeling a little deflated. "Let's have it."

"We reached the floor where you took the elevator and my men will soon be on the floor below but our first suspicions were correct and you and Captain Raydor are actually stuck in between floors so unless we get the power going again, there is no way we can get you out."

"Fantastic," Brenda sighed. She clutched the phone a little tighter. "So no one's coming to pry open those doors?"

"If someone opens those doors, you'll probably end up falling to your deaths. You are about eight stories up. It's not a fall you're likely to survive so just be glad they're closed, eh?"

"Thank you, Commander," Brenda said and then ended the call. She turned around to see panic spread cross Sharon's face.

Green eyes darted from left to right, focused on nothing in particular. She saw the way Sharon's hands moved, like she was looking for something, and without thinking, Brenda reached out. She let her hand touch Sharon's and gasped when the brunette grabbed hold of it, yanking Brenda closer.

"Sharon?" Brenda asked and for a moment, Sharon seemed to focus on her. It was a fleeting moment and then it was gone. Brenda desperately tried to work out what was happening.

Was the Captain really having a panic attack? What was she supposed to do?

"We need to get out," Sharon said. Her voice was panicky and somewhat high pitched. "Chief… We need to get out." She tried to pull herself free but Brenda's grip on her wrist instantly tightened and she instinctively pulled Sharon away from the door.

"No, no, no," Brenda soothed and her hand moved up from Sharon's wrist to her shoulder and she placed her other hand on Sharon's arm. Brown eyes found green. "Capt'n, listen to me." She rephrased herself. "Sharon… Sharon, I need you to listen to me, okay? Can you do that? Can you listen to me?"

"We have to…" Sharon began again but Brenda shook her head.

Her grip a little firmer now, Brenda pulled Sharon back towards the wall opposite the doors and slowly sank down to the ground, pulling Sharon with her. She was surprised the brunette went willingly. It was only when her arm came around Sharon's shoulder that Brenda noticed the Captain was shaking and she pulled her closer. Sharon rested her head against Brenda's shoulder. She was whispering to herself but Brenda couldn't hear what she was saying.

When Brenda felt something trickle down the side of her neck, she nearly jumped. Sharon was actually crying. Brenda was unnerved by this. It was one thing seeing Sharon Raydor nervous but actually seeing her cry?! That was a whole other kettle of fish.

Sharon's brain was spinning. Her head hurt. She closed her eyes so she couldn't see the walls anymore, couldn't see them coming closer. Her breath caught in the back of her throat in between sobs and her lungs were burning. The adrenaline coursing through her veins slowly started to wear off, causing her body to crash and the tears to fall even faster.

Brenda's fingers found their way into Sharon's hair and she clumsily stroked the brunette's head. She felt self-conscious and uncomfortable. This was something she would never have expected from Sharon Raydor, the ice cold bitch from FID. But here Sharon was, curled up against Brenda in the midst of a panic attack, and Brenda no longer recognised her. She didn't know who this woman was but this was not the woman she had come to loath recently. The woman in her arms was a crying mess.

"You're okay, Sharon. I've got you," Brenda soothed. She didn't know what to say or what to do and tried to remember back to the times her Mama had held her like this when she cried. When she had her heart broken by a boy in school. When she failed an exam. When her first marriage broke down. So many times had Willie Rae held her like this and Brenda couldn't remember a word of what she had said to her.

Brenda looked at the elevator doors, remembering what Commander Williams had said. She hadn't considered the possibility that the elevator was actually stuck between floors. The thought of there being nothing but certain death behind those doors was unnerving.

"Tell me more about your children," Brenda tried to draw Sharon's attention away from the panic she was experiencing. Talking helped to keep her own thoughts at bay too. "You said Emily does ballet. Is she in anythin' right now?"

"Romeo… and… Juliet," Sharon stammered. "She's…. She's Juliet."

"Wow," Brenda smiled. "She must be really good."

Sharon's voice was weak, her words spaced out. "She is amazing."

"Good. Keep talkin'," Brenda encouraged her. "When was the last time you saw her?"

"I'm supposed to be… going… next week," Sharon answered. She took quick, shallow breaths in between the words and Brenda worried for a moment that the Captain would end up hyperventilating but then she realised the gasps were becoming less frequent and desperate.

"You're flyin' out to New York? My brother lives in New York," Brenda said. "I wonder if he's ever been to see your daughter dance. He loves the ballet and theatre. He and Frank go all the time."

Sharon remained silent and Brenda could hear her trying to take deep, slow breaths. She wondered how many times Sharon had had to do this before.

"Just breathe," Brenda coaxed. It was as if her brain kicked in then. "Sharon, honey, it's going to be okay. I am right here." The words continued to fall as the minutes began to tick by and before Brenda fully realised what she was doing, she was telling Sharon the story of how she got caught up in a thunderstorm when she was seventeen and had come home soaking wet but smiling because she loved the sound of thunder so much.

"Mama looked at me like I'd lost my mind but I'd never felt better," Brenda concluded, smiling. "Thunderstorms in Georgia are unlike anything you've ever seen." She turned to look at Sharon. Her head was still on Brenda's shoulder and she was staring into the distance. Brenda doubted Sharon saw anything at all. Gently, she squeezed Sharon's hand. "Like some things in Los Angeles are too, I suppose."

Brenda talked to Sharon like she would talk to an officer who had been shot. In a flash she was back in a helicopter taking off from the roof of a mall with Julio Sanchez lying in her arms, his blood pouring over her hands. She had told him to listen to her, to focus on her voice, to just hold on. She'd have said anything to make sure he wouldn't slip away and right now, in this moment, Brenda knew she had to hold on to Sharon too.

"This will be over soon and we're goin' to walk out of here together and it's all goin' to be okay."

As the worst of the attack began to wear off, Sharon's body crashed. It was what always happened. She'd experience the panic attack and then collapse. It felt like she'd done two marathons and now that the tension in her chest subsided, she inhaled, sucking in the air. Her body relaxed further into Brenda's and without either woman fully realising it, Sharon's head slid down Brenda's side and eventually came to a rest in her lap. Brenda pulled back, raising both her hands to provide Sharon with an opportunity to move, but she quickly realised the brunette wasn't going to. Slowly she lowered her arms and fingers threaded through Sharon's hair.

"It's ok," she said. "I'm right here and I won't let you go through this alone."

Brenda only shook Sharon gently when, after a few minutes, she still hadn't moved. That was when she realised the Captain had fallen asleep and Brenda stiffened for a moment, struck by the twisted and awkward intimacy of the moment. She was sitting in an elevator with Sharon Raydor asleep in her lap…. And right in that moment, Brenda didn't even mind. She was almost relieved she was the one Sharon had ended up stuck with because Brenda couldn't imagine anyone else coping with what had happened. She hadn't expected to cope herself but she hadn't had a choice.

Seeing Sharon come undone reminded Brenda that Sharon was human. Sure, she worked for Internal Affairs and everybody hated her, but there was a real person behind the cold and distant exterior and Brenda had caught a glimpse of that person today. She had seen the real Sharon when she looked into those green eyes, had seen the side of her she knew Sharon always tried to hide. That alone changed the way she saw her and as she let her fingers slide lazily through Sharon's dark locks, Brenda rested her head back against the elevator wall and let her eyes fall shut.

Minutes ticked by in silence.

Brenda's eyes snapped open when the elevator unexpectedly moved, jolting her forward. She reached out to put her hand against the floor to steady herself and in that same moment Sharon sat up, eyes wide, and turned to look at Brenda. She seemed to register the closeness and instantly moved herself away. The blonde saw the flash of panic behind Sharon's eyes and her hand reached out for Sharon's in an attempt to bring the closeness back.

"Don't worry," she promised. "It's okay."

The elevator stopped moving again and Brenda let her breathe escape.

"What was that?" Sharon wondered.

"Probably the engineers trying to get things moving," Brenda explained. "It's stopped now."

Sharon sat back but didn't say anything.

Brenda saw the outline of the glasses on the elevator floor two steps from where Sharon was sitting and she reached out to pick them up. She handed them back to Sharon and their fingers touched when Sharon accepted them. The brunette didn't make eye-contact but whispered a quiet, "Thank you" before putting the glasses back on.

The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the elevator and Brenda's eyes darted to the doors. To her surprise she saw they were slowly opening. The tiniest gap was visible but it was a gap at least. Her heart leapt up in her chest and next to her, Sharon scrambled to her feet, eyes also fixed on the door.

"Chief Johnson? Captain Raydor?" an unknown male voice called.

"Yes!" Brenda eagerly replied and stood up too. "What's happenin'?"

"We're breaking open the doors. We've lowered the elevator far enough for you and Captain Raydor to get out, ma'am. But it will require you to slide out and drop several feet. Is that something you can do?" the male voice answered.

Brenda turned to look at Sharon. The brunette nodded. "Yes!" Brenda called back. "We can do that."

"Okay. Just a few more minutes and I'll have you out of here. My name's Dave by the way. And it would seem you have a welcome party here waiting for you."

"Hey Chief!" Brenda recognised Flynn's voice above everyone else's.

Minutes felt like hours but eventually Dave told them that the door was open wide enough for them to slide through and he would catch them. After warning it was about a five foot drop, Brenda grabbed her purse and headed towards the doors first. She was keen to get out and the thought of lights and people and the sound of voices and, most of all, chocolate, made her forget about everything else.

"Ready?" Dave called.

"Ready!" Brenda called back. "Catch my purse!"

She dropped the black tote through the opening and heard someone wonder out loud what the hell she kept in that bag. She then sat down, her feet through the opening and pushed herself through the open doors. The fall was short and brief and Brenda was caught by a pair of arms that turned out to belong to David Gabriel. He flashed her a smile and she flashed one in return before spinning on her heel to find the rest of her Division standing behind her.

"How did ya'll get here so fast?" she wanted to know. "They said it would be hours."

"Couldn't leave you in there with her for much longer, Ma'am," Sanchez answered and jerked his head in the direction of the elevator. Brenda turned around just in time to see Sharon make the jump and land in Dave's extended arms. She looked at the Captain for a moment longer before averting her eyes and brushing a curl out of her eyes.

"I thought you'd have killed her by now," Provenza commented and nudged Flynn in the ribs. "I owe you 20 bucks."

"I was only worth 20 bucks?" Brenda asked, insulted. "I'd expected better from you, Lieutenant. Being stuck with Capt'n Raydor deserves at least 50!"

"Of all the people to end up stuck with, it had to be Raydor," Flynn smirked. "I mean, she's alright if she's not investigating but gees, that woman is so damn uptight… Makes you wonder when the last time was she got laid!" He turned to look at Breda. "Don't envy you, Chief. I'd have killed her by now."

Brenda snorted. "It crossed my mind. More than once."

The sound of Dave's voice behind her drew her attention then. "Captain, is everything alright?"

Brenda turned around just in time to see Dave reach out and steady the Captain on her feet. She looked pale and her eyes were dull. Even from where she stood Brenda could still see that Sharon was shaking. Her hair was tangled and her clothes creased. She looked like a woman who had been through hell and back.

"Good god," Provenza whistled through clenched teeth. "She looks like crap."

Brenda looked at Sharon. She looked tired and defeated and although it was clear she had overheard what the members of Brenda's team had said, she did nothing to defend herself. Her shoulders had dropped and she didn't make eye-contact.

"Thank you for that eloquent observation, Lieutenant," Brenda snapped at Provenza, drawing a confused look from Flynn. She wasn't quite sure what had come over her. "I think that's enough."

"Chief?" Sanchez asked, arching an eyebrow.

"As you were," Brenda ordered. "Ya'll go back to work."

Provenza shook his head as he watched the Chief walk over to Raydor and put a hand on her arm. "What the actual hell…"

"I don't want to know," Gabriel shook his head. "Come on."

They turned and disappeared around the corner, leaving Sharon and Brenda alone in the corridor. The brunette didn't look at Brenda, kept her eyes fixed on the painting on the wall. It was hideous but she had to focus on something. The knowledge that Brenda had seen her at her most vulnerable unnerved her.

"I see old habits die hard," she pointed out.

Brenda's cheeks flushed, knowing Sharon meant the way she and her team had talked about her. "Capt'n, I'm sorry."

Sharon slowly turned around. She looked terrible and Brenda felt a sharp sting of pity for her, even though she knew Sharon wouldn't want her feeling that way. "I hadn't expected anything less, Chief." She tried to straighten herself and swallowed. "I've got to get back to work."

Brenda watched the older woman start down the corridor but then Sharon turned around. Green eyes found brown and for just a second, Sharon flashed a smile. It was only a glimpse but it said more than words ever could. "Thank you," she said. "For being there."

Brenda nodded. "Sure. Any time."

"Bye, Chief Johnson." Sharon turned then and continued down the corridor. .

Brenda let her head fall back, a feeling she couldn't quite identify gnawing away at her. "Bye, Captain Raydor. Sharon…."

With that, she picked up her tote, swung it over her shoulder and walked off in the opposite direction.


	5. Ice Queens

**Summary:** Lieutenants Provenza and Flynn are fed up with the endless bickering between the Chief and the Captain and decide to take matters into their own hands

 **Pairing:** Brenda Leigh Johnson/Sharon Raydor

 **Timeline:** Set during The Closer (season 5/6)

 **Note:** This is the fourth story in the series that see Brenda and Sharon get stuck together.

* * *

 **IV. Ice Queens**

"You know just as well as I do that you can't just walk in and…"

"No, Capt'n, _you_ can't just walk in. I don't answer to you."

Brenda Leigh Johnson had placed her hands flat on her desk and leaned over it, her dark brown eyes fixed on the other woman in her office. Captain Sharon Raydor was now officially the biggest nuisance Brenda had ever come across and she wanted nothing more than to push the brunette out of her door, tell her to go stick her rules somewhere the sun doesn't shine and slam the door behind her. Unfortunately for Brenda, all three of those options would only make her problems bigger and they were already plenty big enough.

"Chief Pope told you to tread careful," Sharon reminded Brenda and shook her head in exasperation. Brenda Leigh Johnson infuriated her. She placed her hands on her hips and never took her eyes off the other woman. She could see the tension in Brenda's hands as they supported her body, saw the way her nostrils flared. The anger was palpable in the air. "The rules are there for a reason, Chief."

"If I played by the rules, I wouldn't solve half my cases," Brenda answered. "I think Chief Pope prefers it when killers go to prison instead of having them sent back onto the streets of Los Angeles."

"Chief Pope prefers it if a case actually stands up in court," Sharon slowly answered. She noticed the way Brenda flinched. She'd hit a soft spot and Sharon was well aware of it. She had spent enough time with the Chief to know where it hurt and right now, Sharon wasn't afraid to go for the jugular.

"Making' a case stand up in court is the job of the DA's office," Brenda countered. "Not mine."

"You know just as well as I do that that isn't true," Sharon objected. "And you're only saying it because you know there is a chance your case won't hold and you want to blame someone else other than the one person you really should blame." Green eyes found brown. "You."

Brenda opened her mouth to answer back to Sharon but she didn't have the words. She felt the anger course through her veins and pushed herself off her desk. She began pacing her office, hands clenched into fists and she felt Sharon's eyes burn into her back. She and Sharon had not seen eye to eye since their first meeting a little over a year ago. Since then, things had been strained at best and even just the mention of Sharon's name, Brenda would feel a rush of resentment and loathing.

"It doesn't have to be this hard, Chief," Sharon sighed, her eyes still on Brenda. "All you had to do was ask the right questions and talk to Chief Pope. Now we're risking a suspected murderer being released back into society and God only knows what will happen then." She took a step in Brenda's direction. "Are you even listening to me?"

"I stopped the moment you said everything's my fault," Brenda snapped. "Did you say anythin' after that?"

Sharon raised her hands as if in surrender. "OK. I give up. I tried to reason with you but if you insist on not listening to me, I don't know what else I can do."

Brenda watched as the older woman headed for the door. Just when she thought Sharon was leaving, the Captain turned around. "Not following the rules is going to get you into trouble one day," she warned."

Brenda snorted and raised an eyebrow. "What? With you?"

Sharon shook her head and answered, "No. With yourself."

She stepped out of the office but left the door open in her wake. Brenda watched as the brunette walked through the Murder Room and disappeared around the corner. Once she was sure Sharon was gone, Brenda exited her office too and walked over to the white board. Just before she reached it she turned to look at Provenza. She had no doubt he'd been watching her and the Captain through the window the entre time.

"Well? What did the Wicked Witch want?"

Brenda shook her head. "Nothing, Lieutenant. Get back to work."

~()~

Congregating outside the morgue wasn't exactly anyone's idea of a good time but it was the safest place in the building to have a conversation without having to worry about anyone overhearing. The lights were naturally dimmed and no one came down here unless they wanted to observe an autopsy or needed lab results. Standing in the room where they would normally put their scrubs on before entering the autopsy room, Provenza and Flynn looked at Doctor Morales.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Morales rubbed the back of his head, clearly not convinced by what the two detectives had just told him. He looked from one to the other. Nothing good ever came of something Provenza and Flynn wanted to do off the record and he had a bad feeling about the whole thing.

"They almost tore each other apart this afternoon. It's like two hungry wolves about to attack each other," Flynn answered. "One of these days, someone's going to get hurt. And the tension… You could light a damn football stadium with the electricity!"

Provenza didn't blink. "I can't stand it anymore. Either we do this or we watch them kill each other. Your choice."

Morales pursed his lips and sighed. The fact he was even considering this suggestion was shocking and he had a feeling that no matter how this was going to turn out, he was going to get into trouble. "How long for?"

Provenza shrugged and glanced at Flynn. He just pulled a face and looked back at Morales. "As long as it takes."

Morales sighed and reached for a pair of scrubs hanging on a hook on the wall. There was a body waiting for him on the table. He shot a final glance over his shoulder before entering the autopsy room and met Provenza's gaze. "OK. Fine. But on your head be it, Lieutenant."

Provenza's eyes merely twinkled and he pretended to take a bow. "By the time this is over, you will _all_ be grateful."

~()~

Brenda didn't like going to the morgue. It wasn't exactly anyone's favourite place in the world but her aversion was stronger than most. Something about the smell of death mixed with latex gloves and Vicks made her stomach turn and although she had always managed to make it through an entire autopsy without as much as gagging, she felt uncomfortable the entire time. She also wasn't used to the cool air down here and she was one of the few people who wouldn't come and find refuge down here during the hottest summer days.

"I don't know why Doctor Morales wanted us to go in here to find the body. Doesn't he have a morgue tech who usually does these kind of things?" Brenda queried as she walked into the autopsy room. Her eyes immediately drifted to the table. It was empty and clean. She could smell the disinfectant in the air but nothing could ever truly erase the stench of death.

Sharon followed Brenda inside. She was only down here because the rules specified two people had to be in the freezer at any time, just in case something happened. Morales had called for Brenda to come and help him and Sharon had been the only other person present in the Murder Room. She'd wanted to object to going but Brenda had flashed that annoyingly sweet smile and had said. "The rules say that we need two people. We can't be seen breaking the rules, can we?"

So that was why Sharon, after simply dropping off a file after yesterday's discussion, found herself approaching the large freezer in the back of the room and she shivered.

Brenda opened the door and shivered when a gust of frozen air hit her skin. She took a deep breath and stepped inside the freezer. Sharon followed and the cool air robbed her of her breath. Her heartrate quickened and she wished she'd put on an extra jacket before coming down here. Brenda seemed less fazed by the cold, or so it appeared anyway, and Sharon watched from the other end of the freezer as Brenda began to peel away the plastic wrapped around one of the dozen or so bodies on the metal tables and studied the toe tag.

"I don't understand why I have to be down here with you, Chief."

Brenda looked up. Brown eyes behind dark rimmed reading glasses fixed on the brunette FID Captain. "Got anywhere better to be, Captain?"

"No, I was actually really looking forward to spending my afternoon surrounded by dead bodies." Sharon rolled her eyes.

"It'll go a hell of a lot quicker if you actually came up here and helped," Brenda huffed. She'd checked another toe tag and again the numbers didn't match the ones she'd scribbled on the back of her hand after answering Morales' phone call. He had asked about Jane Doe 3512 in an ongoing case but his morgue assistant had gone home sick with the flu and he ow needed some help.

"There was a pile up on the highway this morning and they're bringing in the bodies soon. I… I need the freezer space so I am working my way through the Jane and John Doe's first. I'm going to have to have some of these bodies transferred to a different morgue."

Brenda had offered her assistance and now here she was, with Sharon goddamn Raydor in tow, checking out toe tags on dead, ice cold bodies.

Reluctantly, Sharon walked across the small cold space and held still by the nearest body. She pulled the plastic aside, revealing a cold and somewhat discoloured foot. The skin was a horrible shade of blue-ish grey and when her fingers grazed across the exposed skin, it felt waxy. Death truly looked and felt ugly. The numbers on the tag didn't match and she fixed her eyes on the next body.

Sharon shivered. The blue scrubs she wore over her black pinstriped suit did nothing to keep her warm and she felt the cold creep into her bones. She hadn't put on gloves and regretted that decision now, even though latex would not change anything about the temperature, it would form a fine barrier between her own hands and the cold bodies she was now touching.

Her eyes drifted back to Brenda. The Chief had kneeled down, her floral skirt fanning around her legs as she inspected yet another toe tag. It sounded like she quietly swore under her breath when she noticed the numbers didn't match. As Brenda stood up, Sharon caught a glimpse of the younger woman's calves and a jolt of electricity coursed through her body but she did not avert her eyes. When Brenda turned, her eyes found Sharon's and she was about to speak when movement behind the brunette caught her attention instead.

"What the…"

The sound of the door being closed was hollow and it fell into its lock with an almost sickening click. Light was drawn from the room instantly, leaving only the faint glow of the lightbulb over their heads.

"Shit."

Brenda looked at Sharon in confusion. Hearing the FID Captain swear was something she had not expected. Sharon had already reached the door and was trying the handle. It moved but the door did not open. Sharon tried again and again, but she soon realised it was futile. She balled her hands into a fist and rammed against the metal door. The sound carried through the freezer and the autopsy room but no answer came.

"You've got to be kiddin' me," Brenda groaned as she marched to the door. She reached for the door handle.

Sharon turned to look at her. "It's locked, Chief."

"I can see that," Brenda sharply retorted. She slammed her hand against the door, hard. She used such force that her fingers ached. "Doctor! Doctor Morales! Yoohoo! Doctor Morales?!"

Sharon stepped away from the door. She suspected that whoever closed the door hadn't heard their calls or the banging on the door, otherwise they'd have come to let them out by now. She let her eyes wander around the dimly lit room and the desire to run was strong. She had been around dead bodies plenty of times but there was something unexplainably eerie about being locked into a freezing cold room with a dozen of them. Another cold chill crept down her spine and she jumped when Brenda moved and bumped into one of the bodies, rustling the plastic.

"Do you have your phone?" Brenda inquired and Sharon's hands instinctively shot down to the pockets of her scrubs, only to remember she'd taken the device out not long after entering the morgue and leaving it on the side.

She shook her head. "You?"

Brenda snorted. Of all the days for it to happen, it had to be today. "On charge in my office."

"Very helpful, Chief."

"I'm open to any suggestions, Captain," Brenda bit back and shook her head. Of all the people to be trapped with, it had to be Sharon Raydor. Brenda found the Captain to be infuriating and insufferable but at the same time she almost relished in their stand offs, too. Sharon Raydor made her feel…. Alive. She had never worked alongside someone, if you could call it that, like Sharon.

Brenda rubbed her hands together. Her fingers were starting to feel cold and the thought of being stuck here for any length of time was very unappealing.

Sharon sat down on the floor with her back against the door and pulled her knees up to her chest. It wasn't a great attempt to keep warm but anything would do. She wrapped her arms around her knees. "If we're going to be stuck here, we might as well get comfortable."

Brenda looked at the older woman in disbelief. "Comfortable? We're stuck inside a freezer!" But she sank down to the ground anyway.

Her legs touched the cold floor and she pulled them up, the same way Sharon had, and attempted to wrap her skirt around her bare calves. She wouldn't admit it to Sharon, not by a long shot, but she'd been cold before the door closed and now the numb feeling was creeping up from her toes towards her knees. It was only when she shivered that Sharon turned to look at her.

"You ok, Chief?" she inquired.

"Fine." Brenda remained stoic and refused to make eye contact. Instead she stared at some of the plastic wrapped bodies. She tried not to think about their open eyes, the way they stared up into nothing. In fact, she tried very hard not to think about the fact they were surrounded by two dozen dead bodies at all.

Sharon pulled her scrub sleeves further down in an attempt to cover her hands. The tips of her fingers felt numb and it was as if her veins had narrowed and the blood could not get through. She was cold but she'd be damned if she was going to admit it. She had seen Brenda shiver and if the blonde wasn't going to admit she was cold, Sharon wasn't going to either. She wouldn't give the Chief the satisfaction.

"How long do you think it'll be before they realise we're gone?" Sharon wondered.

Brenda's whole squad had been out and there was no telling how long it would be before anyone came back or even noticed the two women weren't where they were supposed to be. Sharon tried to remember what was in her own diary for today but there were no meetings or other appointments that would ring alarm bells if she didn't show. She groaned inwardly.

Brenda shook her head and rolled her eyes. "I don't know. Not long, I hope."

"So we're stuck here," Sharon sighed. "Literally.

"You're not the only one who isn't exactly thrilled about that, Capt'n."

Sharon shot Brenda a sideways glance. "I'm sorry to disappoint, Chief. Maybe next time you can get yourself trapped in the freezer with Lieutenant Provenza. I'm sure he'd be more entertaining."

"I'd have a hard time distinguishing him from the bodies in here," Brenda snorted. "He'd certainly be as cold as they are."

Sharon shook her head. She and Lieutenant Louie Provenza went way back and they weren't exactly friends. Ever since sending him and his former partner to sensitivity training over twenty years ago, there had been some bad blood between them. As it happened, the training was wasted on Provenza anyway and Sharon had since considered sending him again, and making him take Andy Flynn with him, but she'd come to realise that some things just couldn't be changed or fixed.

Sharon huddled a little deeper into her scrubs and tried to ignore the cold shiver creeping down her spine. Her hands were cold and she clenched and relaxed her fingers in an attempt to let the blood flow through them more easily. From the corner of her eye she noticed Brenda was rubbing the back of her legs and Sharon pitied the Chief; she had to be freezing in that skirt.

Brenda let her head fall back, groaned and then shot a sideways glance to Sharon. Something had changed in her brown eyes and she was staring at the Captain with an almost dark look. She shamelessly let her eyes trail over Sharon's frame and the intensity of the gaze made Sharon shiver.

"Come here," Brenda instructed. It was clear it wasn't a question but a command. Sharon recognised the tone. They were back to being in a hospital corridor fighting over who was in charge of the investigation involving David Gabriel. Brenda was pulling rank. Again.

Sharon looked at the younger woman and arched an eyebrow in slight contempt. They were alone here. Brenda could pull rank all she liked. Sharon wasn't just going to give in. "Excuse me?"

"Come here," Brenda repeated her request and swallowed. "Please."

She sounded like she almost choked on that last word.

"Why?" Sharon suspiciously eyed Brenda up.

"Jesus, Captain. Don't you know the best way to keep warm when in a cold environment?" Brenda exclaimed and raised her eyes to the ceiling in despair. She shook her head in disbelief before looking back at Sharon and catching her gaze. "Body heat!"

Sharon opened her mouth to answer but she was momentarily lost for words. Brenda's words sounded perfectly sensible as well as utterly ridiculous all at the same time. The thought alone…

"Are you asking me to cuddle you?" Sharon questioned, narrowing her eyes a little and her body tensed up. She then shook her head. She wasn't going to give in to this absurd idea. How did Brenda even think that was going to work?

"No way."

"Fine," Brenda stated and set her jaw. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared at the wall. She was only going to make this offer once and if the stuck up Captain wouldn't accept then that was her problem. "Then freeze."

Sharon wrapped her arms a little tighter around her knees and tried not to shiver but she had no control over her body. She swore to herself that if she ever found out who was responsible for locking them in here, she was going to report them and make sure they'd be transferred to the tiniest sheriff's office in the state she could find. There was no way this was just an accident and she knew it.

She exhaled slowly and shuddered when she could see her breath form little clouds in the air. Brenda's offer suddenly felt a lot more appealing but Sharon also knew Brenda wasn't going to offer again. If she wanted to feel warmer she w0uld have to make the first move herself and Sharon hated herself for it but she couldn't stand the cold any longer. She was prepared to cuddle up to Brenda Leigh Johnson in a freezer full of dead bodies if all it meant she wouldn't have to see another puff of her own breath in the air.

"Alright," Sharon said and Brenda turned her head.

"Alright what?" she asked, puzzled.

"Body heat," Sharon begrudgingly clarified. "I'll do it."

Brenda arched an eyebrow and didn't move so Sharon slowly inched closer towards the blonde Deputy Chief and shivered when her hand encountered Brenda's. They both hesitated for a moment or two, surprised by the touch, and for the longest of moments they tried to make sense of what had just happened. Sharon thought the cold had to be getting to them and she moved a little closer until her hip and shoulder touched Brenda's.

After another moment's hesitation, the younger woman's arm slipped almost effortlessly around the Captain's shoulders and Sharon found herself easing into Brenda's somewhat clumsy embrace. Their bodies moulded surprisingly well together as they wrapped themselves around each other as best they could. With her free hand, Brenda reached for Sharon's and took it. Their fingers laced together in a strange twist of comfort and to Sharon's surprise, Brenda's hand was not only warm, it was also soft.

"How long do you think it'll be till they realise we're gone?" Brenda wondered. She didn't look at Sharon and she was aware they had already asked that question but she didn't know what else to say. Anything was better than total silence.

"No idea," Sharon admitted. "Where did you send your team this morning?"

"Canvassing," Brenda answered softly. "Hopefully they won't be long."

The silence neither of them wanted fell anyway and Sharon rested her head against the wall. Her breath hitched when Brenda turned herself towards her, pressing herself a little firmer against Sharon's body. Sharon almost lost the ability to think, her brain polluted by the scent of the Chief's perfume. That smell had always been irresistible, even if that was one of the crazies and stupidest things Sharon had ever thought.

She turned her head a little, her chin now almost against Brenda's cheek. She had to admit that the Chief was right. Sitting closely together helped to keep warm. But unfortunately that wasn't all it did. Maybe it was the fact the cold was messing with her head or maybe she was just glad that she wasn't alone in this room filled with dead bodies, but Sharon was acutely aware of her racing heart.

Brenda tried to control her breathing. Having moved closer to Sharon had been a natural reaction but now that she had, it felt like a mistake yet she did nothing to change it. She was cold and being this close to the other woman triggered something she hadn't even been aware of until now.

Sharon closed her eyes in an attempt to calm herself but yelped when Brenda moved even closer, effectively resting her head on Sharon's shoulder. The older woman stiffened when Brenda's arm snaked around her waist.

"Chief?" Sharon squeaked.

"Hmmm?"

"What're you doing?"

"Keepin' warm." Brenda lifted her head up and intense brown eyes found green. Something had changed in the blonde's demeanour, Sharon noticed. "Why do we always fight?"

Sharon blinked. "What?"

"Why do we always fight? I don't fight like that with anyone else. Only with you. Why?"

"Because you're stubborn and you don't like admitting you're wrong."

Brenda pulled away, insulted. Sharon immediately missed the closeness.

"That's not true."

Sharon arched an eyebrow in amusement and grinned. Brenda had just made her point for her.

"I don't like it when you're tellin' me what to do," Brenda said and leaned back into Sharon. "You're always bossin' me around."

"I'm not doing anything of the sort," Sharon countered, her voice softer now and carrying the undertone of humour. "You just think I do because you don't like it when things don't go the way you want them to. You can't change the law, Chief."

"No one winds me up the way you do."

Sharon had to admit that the feeling was mutual, though she guessed the reason for it was altogether different. She carefully reached up and let a blonde curl slide through her fingers. Brenda didn't move, didn't pull away, so Sharon repeated the action with another curl. This time the younger woman turned her head and their gazes locked.

"I wonder why you're getting' to me so much," Brenda said softly.

"Why do you think?"

Brenda moved closer before Sharon realised and kissed her. Softy. Sweetly. It was the kiss of someone who was nervous. It was over before it had even begun and when Sharon opened her eyes she wasn't even sure it had happened at all. But Brenda nestled herself a little deeper into Sharon and hummed contently when she felt Sharon's fingers in her hair. She smiled to herself.

"I think I know."

Somehow Sharon didn't feel cold anymore.

~()~

"You think they've been in there long enough?" Morales glanced at his watch. "It's been almost forty minutes."

"I'd say we give them the full hour," Provenza answered and he looked at Flynn. "What do you think?"

"Lieutenant, it is below freezing in there. I really don't think we should leave them in there any longer than we already have," Morales protested. "If you don't let them out now, I will."

Provenza grumbled but nodded anyway. "Flynn!"

"What?" Flynn asked. "Why me?"

"Did you really think I was going to do it myself and have those two rip my head off?" Provenza shook his head. "You go and tell them it was an accident. They'll believe it when it's coming from you."

Flynn groaned in frustration but he entered the morgue anyway and approached the freezer. He assumed the fact he didn't hear yelling or see blood spatter across the little window was a good thing and when he turned the door handle and opened the door, he was surprised to find the two women sitting on opposite sides of the freezer.

"Lieutenant Flynn!" Brenda barked when she saw him and leapt to her feet. Blazing brown eyes fixed on him before darting back to Sharon. "I told you my detectives would find us."

"They needed almost an hour to locate their superior officer. I fail to see how this is supposed to fill me with any confidence," Sharon countered as she too stood up.

Andy watched, slightly horrified, as the two women left the freezer and continued bickering and arguing as he closed the door behind them. Brenda and Sharon walked through the morgue, their voices raised, and Sharon opened the door. Provenza and Morales were waiting and the older Lieutenant looked hopefully at Flynn but Flynn merely shook his head.

"Capt'n, I have every confidence in my detectives!" Brenda said, placing her hands on her hips.

Sharon cocked an eyebrow. "At least someone does."

Provenza stared at the two women, horrified. "Are you kidding me?! All of that and they're still fighting?!" he said softly to Flynn.

"Something the matter, Lieutenant?" Brenda sweetly asked and he shook his head. "Alright. Run along then, all of you." She watched him and Flynn walk away.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" Flynn hissed as he opened the door.

"Oh shut up. You were perfectly happy to go along with it!"

"This is the last time I let you talk me into something stupid."

"That's what you said last time."

The door closed behind the two Lieutenants and Brenda focused on Morales. "We didn't find your body, Doctor."

"That's alright. I wrote the numbers down wrong anyway," he smiled weakly. "Have a nice day, Chief. Captain." He muttered sheepishly as he fled the room. That was the last time he would let Lieutenants Flynn and Provenza talk him into anything like that ever again.

Once he was gone, Brenda looked at Sharon and smirked. "I told you, they were all in it together."

"Oh, absolutely," Sharon grinned. At this point she just wanted to give them a taste of their own medicine. They could always deal with the consequences of their actions at a later date. "So, how long should we keep this up?"

Brenda leaned in a little and tucked a strand of hair behind Sharon's ear. "Oh I don't know, Capt'n. As long as we like."

Brenda gave Sharon a little wink before following her out of the morgue.


End file.
